WILLISTON (AP) - An ethanol plant planned near here will be able to use barley or wheat as well as corn, and burn North Dakota lignite, organizers say.

More details were released Friday on plans for the $120 million Yellowstone Ethanol LLC plant, to be built 17 miles southwest of Williston. Organizers say it would produce 50 million gallons of ethanol per year, employ 40 people with an annual payroll of more than $1.5 million, and provide a market for more than 100,000 acres of crops in the area.

The site is along the side of the main BNSF railroad line, next to the Buford-Trenton Irrigation District. The plant will use about 20 million bushels of corn, up to 2 million bushels of barley or wheat and produce enough feed for 250,000 cattle each year, organizers said.

Ron Borchardt, the project manager for AMEC E&C Services, a construction management company, said he was impressed with the board of directors.

"The enthusiasm of this board was amazing," Borchardt said at a news conference Friday. "They have assembled a dream team. I personally believe renewable energy is the future."

The lead consultant is a group called Charmark International, headed by Mark Erickson and Frank Kirschenheiter, who helped develop the Red Trail ethanol plant being built near Richardton.

Erickson said earlier that experience in that venture led to the formation of a consulting company to help other projects.

On Friday, he said new varieties of corn make it possible to grow the crop in "non-traditional corn production areas," including northwestern North Dakota and eastern Montana.

Yellowstone Ethanol Board president Bob Gannaway of Williston said the plant is being designed by Katzen International, a, Ohio engineering firm experienced in the use of coal to dry corn.

The plant has investors from North Dakota and Montana, officials said.

Kirschenheiter said the plant's organizers are negotiating with at least three coal suppliers. The plant will use some 130,000 tons of coal each year, his statement said.

"While the plant is outside the traditional Corn Belt, it is considerably closer to west coast markets for ethanol," he said. "This is a large market that the Corn Belt has not been able to serve."

Gannaway said $1.8 million in seed capital has been raised from 19 investors.

"This has allowed us to have sufficient funds to get the project off the ground - purchase land, conduct soil studies, have rail designed, hire a manager, hire consultants, develop our prospectus and to develop contractual relationships with other strategic partners," his statement said.

North Dakota now has ethanol plants in Walhalla and Grafton with plans for new ones in Underwood, Richardton, Hankinson and Spiritwood. Plans announced three years ago by Vancouver, Wash.-based Makad Corp. for a plant in Williston fell through.