POET, the world’s largest producer of biofuels, and Antora Energy, a leading U.S. energy storage company, announced the commissioning of Antora’s 5 gigawatt-hour, multi-day thermal energy storage system at POET’s Big Stone City, South Dakota bioprocessing facility.
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Antora and POET Commission 5 Gigawatt-Hour Thermal Battery Project to Power South Dakota Industry with Affordable Energy
The project advanced from initial construction to delivering energy in under 12 months and will be fully operational later this year. Upon completion, it will rank among the world’s largest energy storage projects by capacity—delivered at the speed required to meet surging domestic energy demand.
The project uses Antora’s technology to improve efficiency and lower costs at POET Bioprocessing – Big Stone, helping produce homegrown fuel that reduces harmful emissions and lowers prices at the pump. The significant investment in POET’s facility has created and supported over 300 manufacturing and construction jobs in rural South Dakota and at Antora’s recently expanded San Jose, California gigafactory, where all of the company’s thermal batteries are made.
Antora’s system provides POET with competitively priced, around-the-clock energy under a long-term heat offtake agreement, enabling the plant to increase bioethanol production and create tens of millions of dollars annually in new market opportunities for South Dakota farmers.
“POET is dedicated to supplying the world with affordable, American-made biofuels and bioproducts,” said Jeff Broin, POET Founder and CEO. “Our nation’s energy future will be defined by innovation, and that’s exactly what we’re focused on—pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and delivering viable solutions that strengthen national security and rural economies. By investing in next-generation technologies, we’re leading the way to a biofuture powered by American energy.”
“With this project, Antora is delivering affordable energy to POET—fast,” said Andrew Ponec, Co-Founder and CEO of Antora Energy. “We’re proud of what this deployment means for the workers who designed, built, and installed these batteries, and more broadly, for American manufacturing. This is what reindustrialization looks like—American innovation driving industrial competitiveness, domestic supply chains spanning a dozen states, and jobs from the factory floor to the construction site. And it’s all delivered at the speed required to meet soaring domestic energy demand.”
“Homegrown energy sources create good-paying jobs, support our agriculture producers, and provide affordable options for consumers,” said Senator John Thune (R-SD). “I’m grateful for this impressive addition to South Dakota’s budding biofuels industry, and I can’t wait to see the benefits for South Dakota producers and families across our state.”
Grok Ventures structured and provided the project-level financing as the sole external investor, enabling the project to reach financial close and bringing this pioneering facility to life.
“Antora has built something genuinely compelling, a technology and a team capable of delivering affordable, reliable energy to American industry at real scale,” said Ridhaa Ahmed, Head of Infrastructure and Private Equity at Grok Ventures. “Our conviction in the technology, the team, and the commercial fundamentals gave us the confidence to structure a financing solution befitting the project’s transformative nature. The commercial logic is strong, the opportunity consequential, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Antora as they scale this technology across America and the world.”
The project has strong state and local partners, including the South Dakota Board of Economic Development. The U.S. Department of Energy, during the first Trump Administration, provided critical early R&D funding for Antora’s technology, and this funding has since catalyzed hundreds of millions in private investment in the company.
Antora worked closely with Otter Tail Power—a utility that provides power at some of the lowest costs in the nation to customers across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota—to develop an innovative electric rate that enables the system to deliver 24/7 thermal energy without increasing costs for other consumers. Approved by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission last year, the rate allows the system to selectively and rapidly charge during periods of surplus local energy production, making better use of existing grid infrastructure. The structure offers a model for utilities across the country to responsibly integrate thermal energy storage while benefitting everyone on the grid.
“America’s need for energy is continuing to rise year after year. The more of that energy we can make right here at home, the better,” said Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD). “POET and Antora’s project in Big Stone City will have a real economic impact in South Dakota while also creating jobs and boosting our domestic energy production.”
“South Dakota’s grit and innovative spirit together have made this project possible, which will help meet the rising energy needs of today and tomorrow,” said Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD). “This is a critical investment in affordable, reliable energy, fueling South Dakota’s role in bolstering America’s domestic energy dominance.”
“South Dakota continues to lead the nation in economic growth, and I’m committed to ensuring our state remains Open for Opportunity,” said Governor Larry Rhoden of South Dakota. “I’m proud that the State of South Dakota helped make this project a reality. Antora’s partnership with POET creates new jobs and strengthens our economy for years to come.”
“What we’ve built in South Dakota shows Antora can deliver the reliable and affordable energy required for American competitiveness,” said Jordan Kearns, Executive Vice President of Project Development at Antora Energy. “We’re proud of what we’ve built with POET, and we’re ready to bring our solution to industrial facilities and data centers across America.”
About Antora’s Thermal Batteries
Antora’s thermal batteries store low-cost electricity as heat in insulated blocks of solid carbon. This heat is then delivered around-the-clock to drive industrial processes or is converted into electricity. The same thermal batteries deployed in Big Stone City can deliver firm energy to U.S. and global manufacturers and data centers. Instead of relying on supply-constrained critical minerals, Antora’s thermal batteries use safe and abundant materials, including from domestic suppliers across a dozen U.S. states.
About POET
POET’s vision is to create a world in sync with nature. What began with a single, humble bioprocessing facility in 1987 has grown into the world’s largest biofuel producer and a global leader in sustainable bioproducts, headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D. Today, POET’s portfolio comprises 35 bioprocessing facilities, four terminals, three corporate offices, and two international locations, spanning 14 U.S. states and three countries overall. POET is committed to advancing practical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, with a suite of bioproducts—including bioethanol, animal feed ingredients, corn oil, asphalt rejuvenator, bioCO2, and purified alcohol—that is marketed to an ever-growing base of domestic and international customers. POET exports to over 35 countries worldwide, holds more than 140 patents, and continues to break new ground in biotechnology, yielding innovative, American-made renewable energy and bioproducts. To learn more about POET, visit poet.com.
About Antora Energy
Antora builds and deploys thermal energy storage to power always-on industrial operations with low-cost energy. Factory-built in California, Antora’s modular thermal batteries deliver reliable and cost-effective heat and power for industrial and data center loads of any size. The company is backed by leading investors, including Decarbonization Partners (a BlackRock/Temasek joint venture), Trust Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Emerson Collective, The Nature Conservancy, BHP Ventures, Grok Ventures, GS Futures, Overture VC, and a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. To learn more about Antora Energy, visit www.antora.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
About Otter Tail Power Company
Otter Tail Power Company, a subsidiary of investor-owned Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq Global Select Market: OTTR), is headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The company generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 134,200 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. To learn more about Otter Tail Power, visit otpco.com. To learn more about Otter Tail Corporation, visit ottertail.com.
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