On March 22 Mascoma Corp. filed a registration withdrawal request with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, indicating it has shelved plans to complete an initial public offering (IPO) at this time. In the withdrawal form, Mascoma notes that no securities have been issued or sold under the registration statement, and that the registration statement was not declared effective by the SEC.

“The company has determined at this time not to proceed with the offering due to market conditions and requests that the commission consent to this application on the grounds that withdrawal of the registration statement is consistent with the public interest and production of investors,” said Mascoma in the filing, noting that it may undertake a subsequent private offering.

While Ethanol Producer Magazine was unable to reach a representative of Mascoma for further comment on the matter, documentation published by the company shows it filed its S-1 registration statement with the SEC on Sept. 16, 2011.

In the year and a half since Mascoma originally filed for an IPO the company has made several announcements. In December 2011, the company noted it had formed a joint venture with Valero Energy Corp. to develop and operate a 20 MMgy cellulosic ethanol facility in Kinross, Mich. A few days later, Mascoma announced it had signed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE to assist in the design, construction and operation of the Kinross plant. The agreement provided for up to $80 million in DOE funding. In 2012, the company made several announcements related to the commercialization of its Mascoma Grain Technology (MGT) yeast product, including a multi-year collaboration with ICM Inc., a partnership with Lallemand Inc., and a commercial agreement with Valero. In March 2011, Mascoma and Lallemand Ethanol Technology announced a commercial agreement with Pacific Ethanol Columbia LLC that provided terms and pricing or purchases of the MGT yeast product, which is being marketed under the name TransFerm.