US fuel ethanol production capacity continues to increase and has reached 15.5 billion gallons (58.7 billion litres) per year at the beginning of 2017, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in an article on its website today.

This is a rise of about 4%, or over 600 million gallons per year, compared to January 2016.

The Midwest, led by Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, is home to most of the 198 ethanol plants in the US and most of the country's ethanol capacity. According to EIA's latest US Fuel Ethanol Plant Production Capacity report, total annual nameplate capacity in the region was 14 billion gallons at the start of 2017, an increase by more than 530 million gallons from a year earlier.

Actual US production of fuel ethanol was 14.8 billion gallons in 2016 and according to EIA's June Short-Term Energy Outlook, it is expected to increase to 15.8 billion gallons in 2017.

Article by Renewables Now: US ethanol capacity reaches 15.5bn gallons at start of 2017