FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Matt Merritt, Media Relations Specialist
Phone: (605) 965-2225 / (605) 370-9959
E-mail: matt.merritt@poet.com

POET to highlight innovation at national conference

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Feb. 16, 2009) – Innovation in the form of cellulosic ethanol and new technology in existing corn-to-ethanol plants will be the focus for POET Vice President of Project Development Larry Ward in panel discussions this month at the Renewable Fuels Association's National Ethanol Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Ward will take part in two panels on Tuesday, Feb. 24. In the first, titled “The Path to Cellulose Ethanol Commercialization,” Ward will discuss POET's recent start-up of a 20,000 gallon-per-year pilot cellulosic ethanol plant in Scotland, S.D. that uses corn cobs as feedstock. He will also discuss POET's Project LIBERTY, a 25 million-gallon-per-year commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, also using corn cobs, that will come online in Emmetsburg, Iowa in 2011.

In a second panel later that day, titled “Technology and Efficiency Innovations,” Ward will join panelists discussing new approaches to supplying energy needs and creating more efficient production of ethanol in current plants.

To see a documentary about POET’s pilot cellulosic ethanol plant visit www.poet.com/cellulosedocumentary.htm. Media outlets are welcome to link to the documentary in online coverage. Photos are also available for publication at http://www.poet.com/news/releases.asp.

About POET
POET, the largest ethanol producer in the world according to the Renewable Fuels Association, is an established leader in the biorefining industry through project development, design and construction, research and development, plant management, and marketing. The 20-year-old company currently operates 26 production facilities in the United States. The company produces and markets more than 1.54 billion gallons of ethanol annually. For more information, go to http://www.poet.com.

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