(Radio Iowa) – Construction is underway in Mason City on what will be the world’s largest freestanding grain bin. Sukup Manufacturing of Sheffield has designed the bin, with a peak height of 155 feet and a capacity of 2.2 million bushels, for the Golden Grain Energy ethanol production plant.

Sukup rendering of the grain world’s largest grain bin.

The new bin would beat the two, 2-million bushel Sukup bins built in Atlantic for the Elite Octane LLC Ethanol plant, which went into operation in July, 2018. The two Sukup corn storage bins in Atlantic are each 156 feet in diameter and 150-feet tall. They hold 2,000,000 bushels each, for a total corn storage capacity of 4,000,000 bushels. They are capable of encasing a Boeing 757 jet.

Sukup president and CEO Steve Sukup says the 165-foot diameter bin in Sheffield will be large enough to hold a Boeing 767 jet.

Golden Grain C-E-O Chad Kuhlers says the bigger grain bin will increase the company’s total storage capacity from about 1.275 million bushels to almost 3.5 million bushels.

Kuhlers says the increased storage capacity can help with production around holidays and other times when corn can’t be delivered. He notes Christmas and New Year’s are both on Fridays this year, and a lot of people don’t want to deliver corn that week in between the two holidays.

Construction on the bin is scheduled to be completed in May or June of next year.