CONSENT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board
of Directors
Pacific
Ethanol, Inc.
We
consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form
S-3 of Pacific Ethanol, Inc. of our reports dated March 27, 2008 relating to our
audits of the consolidated financial statements and internal control over
financial reporting, which appear in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Pacific
Ethanol, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2007 and incorporated by reference
in the Prospectus included in Registration Statement No.
333-147471.
Our
report dated March 27, 2008, on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, expressed an opinion
that Pacific Ethanol, Inc. had not maintained effective internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based on criteria established in
Internal Control—Integrated
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
We also
consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in the
Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement.
/s/ HEIN
& ASSOCIATES LLP
Irvine,
California