Pacific Ethanol, Inc. Announces Delay in Reporting Fourth Quarter and Year End 2007 Results

Company Will Host Conference Call and Web Cast on March 31, 2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEIX) today announced a delay in the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. As a result, the Company will file a Form 12b-25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an automatic extension of time to file the Form 10-K and will make the filing by March 31, 2008.

The Company also announced it will release its fiscal year 2007 results pre-market on Monday, March 31, 2008. The Company will host a live conference call and webcast at 10:00 AM EDT / 7:00 AM PDT on Monday, March 31, 2008. Neil Koehler, Chief Executive Officer, and Joseph Hansen, Chief Financial Officer, will host the call.

Please check the company's website at www.pacificethanol.net for details of the call, webcast and replay.

About Pacific Ethanol, Inc.

Pacific Ethanol is the largest West Coast-based marketer and producer of ethanol. Pacific Ethanol has ethanol plants in Madera, California, and in Boardman, Oregon, and has two additional plants under construction in Burley, Idaho, and in Stockton, California. Pacific Ethanol also owns a 42% interest in Front Range Energy, LLC which owns an ethanol plant in Windsor, Colorado. Central to Pacific Ethanol's growth strategy is its destination business model, whereby each respective ethanol plant achieves lower process and transportation costs by servicing local markets for both fuel and feed. Pacific Ethanol's goal is to achieve 220 million gallons per year of ethanol production capacity in 2008 and to increase total production capacity to 420 million gallons per year in 2010. In addition, Pacific Ethanol is working to identify and develop other renewable fuel technologies, such as cellulose- based ethanol production and bio-diesel.

     CONTACTS
     INVESTORS:                     MEDIA:
     Gregory Pettit                 Rory Mackin
     Hill & Knowlton                Hill & Knowlton
     (212) 885-0301                 212-885-0455
     gpettit@hillandknowlton.com    rmackin@hillandknowlton.com

SOURCE Pacific Ethanol, Inc.

Released March 10, 2008