Alternative Fuels Data Center: U.S. Ethanol Plants, Capacity, and Production

Source: Renewable Fuels Association Ethanol Industry Statistics, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) U.S. Fuel Ethanol Plant Production Capacity Report, and EIA Monthly Energy Review (Table 10.3)

This chart shows the number of ethanol plants in the United States from 1999 through 2022. Plant capacity has been increasing more quickly than the number of plants, indicating that the average plant size is increasing. Production is remarkably close to plant capacity. Production dropped in 2012 because of a drought that reduced the corn crop, and in 2020 because of the pandemic.

To view more details, notes, and acronyms, please download the Excel spreadsheet.

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Ethanol Plants	50	54	56	61	68	72	81	95	110	139	170	193	194	193	187	195	195	198	200	200	201	197	192	187
Capacity	1.7787	1.8402	2.0066	2.738	3.1898	3.6988	4.3977	6.3174	11.6229	13.4244	14.5414	13.614	13.728	13.852	13.681	14.369	14.903	15.505	16.288	16.868	17.378	17.546	17.38	17.663
Production	1.465	1.622	1.765	2.14	2.81	3.404	3.904	4.884	6.521	9.309	10.938	13.298	13.929	13.218	13.293	14.313	14.807	15.413	15.936	16.061	15.776	13.926	15.016	15.365