Ethanol plant could boost Port of Albany volumes

Ethanol plant could boost Port of Albany volumes    Traffic at the Port of Albany, N.Y. could nearly double if a planned ethanol plant reaches full capacity.
   Monday the Albany Port District Commission approved the lease of about 20 acres at the port to Albany Renewable Energy. The Albany Business Review said the company that plans to build a $350 million ethanol plant could make 110 million gallons of the alcohol per year.
   The facility, slated for completion in 2009 or 2010, could create as much as 600,000 tons of cargo for the port and about 350 barges moves. That would be a big boost for a port that last year handled about 760,000 tons.
   However, the Schenectady Daily Gazette quoted company officials that said the size of the plant would depend on the amount of financing they can raise, and a plant half as large might be built.