ASALLIANCES BIOFUELS expects to become the largest U.S. ethanol producer after constructing three large-scale ethanol production plants in Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio. Each plant will produce 100 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol a year. Challenger Capital Group, a Dallas-based investment bank, raised $148 million to fund the three plants. Other participants in the project include Cargill, which will provide corn and natural gas procurement and marketing and transportation services, and United Bio Energy, which will manage the plant operations. Construction of the Nebraska and Indiana plants began last year and will begin on the Ohio plant this year. All three will be online by late 2007.