Pacific Ethanol, Inc. to Implement Yield-Enhancing Technology at Its Stockton Plant

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 11, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq:PEIX), the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States, announced it will implement yield-enhancing technology at its Stockton plant. The company has awarded Edeniq, a biomaterials and sustainable fuels innovator, with a contract for Edeniq's Cellunators™ technology to boost ethanol yields by increasing available starch for conversion.

In addition to expected improvements in ethanol yield, the installation of Cellunators™ technology makes available the adoption of Edeniq's Pathway™ technology integrating the Cellunator with proprietary enzymes to convert the cellulosic fraction of the corn kernel to ethanol, which enables a conventional plant to potentially produce cellulosic ethanol.

Neil Koehler, the company's president and CEO, stated: "Our agreement with Edeniq for its Cellunators technology demonstrates our commitment to improving efficiencies at the plant level and positions us to produce advanced biofuels within a corn ethanol plant. We expect this technology to increase yields and improve overall plant profitability."

About Pacific Ethanol, Inc.

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq:PEIX) is the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States. Pacific Ethanol also sells co-products, including wet distillers grain ("WDG"), a nutritional animal feed. Serving integrated oil companies and gasoline marketers who blend ethanol into gasoline, Pacific Ethanol provides transportation, storage and delivery of ethanol through third-party service providers in the Western United States, primarily in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Washington. Pacific Ethanol has a 67% ownership interest in New PE Holdco LLC, the owner of four ethanol production facilities. Pacific Ethanol operates and manages the four ethanol production facilities, which have a combined annual production capacity of 200 million gallons. The facilities in operation are located in Boardman, Oregon, Burley, Idaho and Stockton, California, and one idled facility is located in Madera, California. The facilities are near their respective fuel and feed customers, offering significant timing, transportation cost and logistical advantages. Pacific Ethanol's subsidiary, Kinergy Marketing LLC, markets ethanol from Pacific Ethanol's managed plants and from other third-party production facilities, and another subsidiary, Pacific Ag. Products, LLC, markets WDG. For more information please visit www.pacificethanol.net.

The Pacific Ethanol, Inc. logo is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5940

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

With the exception of historical information, the matters discussed in this press release including, without limitation, the ability of Pacific Ethanol to continue as the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States; the timing and successful implementation of the Cellunators technology, the resulting enhancements to Pacific Ethanol's yields and improvement of plant profitability, and its impact on the future production of cellulosic ethanol are forward-looking statements and considerations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We have tried to identify forward-looking statements by using words like "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "could," "seek," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "future," "plan" or variations of those terms, including their use in the negative. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, adverse economic and market conditions; changes in governmental regulations and policies; and other events, factors and risks previously and from time to time disclosed in Pacific Ethanol's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, specifically, those factors set forth in the "Risk Factors" section contained in Pacific Ethanol's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2012 and its Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2012.

CONTACT: Company IR Contact:
         Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
         916-403-2755
         866-508-4969
         Investorrelations@pacificethanol.net

         IR Agency Contact:
         Becky Herrick
         LHA
         415-433-3777

         Media Contact:
         Paul Koehler
         Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
         503-235-8241
         paulk@pacificethanol.net

Released January 11, 2013