**Exhibit 10.2**

**AURORA PRE-EPCAGREEMENT**

ThisAGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into as of this 17thday ofMarch, 2007, by and between Aventine Renewable Energy, Inc., a Delawarecorporation****(hereinafter “Owner”),and Kiewit Energy Company (hereinafter, “Consultant” or “EPC Contractor”).  Owner, Consultant, and EPC Contractor may beindividually referred to herein as “Party” and collectively as “Parties”.

Owner isdeveloping a 113 denatured million gallon per year ethanol plant which isproposed to utilize Delta-T technology, in Aurora, Nebraska (the “Project”).  Owner and Consultant are negotiating anEngineering, Procurement and Construction contract (the “Aurora EPC Contract”)pursuant to which Contractor would engineer and construct the Project.    For the avoidance of doubt, neither Partyshall be bound by or required to enter into the Aurora EPC Contract until thedefinitive Aurora EPC Contract has been agreed and fully executed by eachParty.

However, to expedite the performance of certain tasksrelated to the design and construction of the Project, Owner desires to retainConsultant, and Consultant desires to be retained, to perform certain advanceengineering, design, and construction services in connection with the Project,all as and to the extent described below.

1.0                                 Engagementof Services. Owner hereby retains Consultant to perform design,engineering, estimating, scheduling, and other professional services (“Services”)identified in Exhibit A (“Scope of Work”) attached hereto.  The Services may be modified or amended fromtime to time upon mutual agreement of the Parties and may be described in oneor more additional Exhibits. If such modifications or amendments necessitate anincrease or decrease in either (a) the amount due or (b) the time required forperformance, such matters shall be agreed upon in writing prior to proceedingwith the change.  No payment shall bemade by Owner for any modification not so directed or authorized prior toproceeding with the modification. Consultant shall perform, or cause to be performed, all such Services inaccordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and in accordancewith good industry practices.

2.0                                 Compensation.In consideration for completion of the Services, Owner shall pay Consultant asspecified in Section 3.0, the aggregate amount not to exceed Eleven MillionNine Hundred Eighty Six Thousand Seventy Eight Dollars ($11,986,078) (“Fee”).  The Fee shall be increased or decreasedaccording to modifications and amendments agreed to as provided herein.

3.0                                 Termsof Payment.    Consultant shallinvoice Owner on or about the thirtieth (30th) of each month, for hours actually worked, inaccordance with Exhibit A.  Owner shallpay Consultant the full amount of such invoice, on or before the fifteenth (15th) of the month following theperiod for which the invoice was provided.

4.0                                 EffectiveDate.  This Agreement shall becomeeffective upon the date of its execution.

5.0                                 Consultantan Independent Contractor. Consultant shall be an independent contractor with respect to theServices to be performed hereunder. Neither Contractor nor its subcontractors or vendors, nor the employeesof either, shall be deemed to be the servants or employees of Owner.

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6.0                                 ConfidentialInformation.  Confidential Informationshall be governed by the confidentiality agreement currently in place betweenOwner and Consultant.

7.0                                 Survival.  The rights and obligations contained inSection 6 (“Confidential Information”) shall survive any termination orexpiration of this Agreement.

8.0                                 Successorsand Assigns.  Except as otherwiseexpressly stated herein, Consultant may not subcontract or otherwise delegateor assign its obligations under this Agreement to third parties (other thanConsultant’s affiliates, which subcontracting, delegation and/or assignment toConsultant’s affiliates shall not relieve Consultant of its obligationshereunder) without Owner’s prior written consent.  Subject to the foregoing, this Agreementshall be for the benefit of Owner’s successors and assigns, and shall bebinding on Consultant’s assignees.

9.0                                 Notices.  Any notice required or permitted by thisAgreement shall be in writing and shall be delivered as follows with noticedeemed given as indicated:  (i) bypersonal delivery when delivered personally; (ii) by overnight courierupon written verification of receipt; (iii) by telecopy or facsimiletransmission upon acknowledgment of receipt of electronic transmission; or(iv) by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, uponverification of receipt.  Notice shall besent to the Parties at the addresses set forth below or such other address aseither Party may specify in writing.

If to Owner:

Aventine Renewable Energy, Inc.1300 South 2nd Street Pekin, IL 61554 Phone:  (309) 347 - 9714Fax:  (309) 478 - 1542 Attention: Jeffrey A. Moery

If to Consultant:

Kiewit Energy Company7906 North Sam Houston Parkway West, Suite 300Houston, TX 77064Attn: Brad KaufmanPhone:  (281) 517-8900Fax:  (281) 517-8909

10.0                           GoverningLaw.  This Agreement shall begoverned in all respects by the laws of the United States of America and by thelaws of the State of New York (excluding New York’s body of law controllingconflicts of laws and excluding 5-323 of the New York General Obligations Law).

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11.0                           Severability.  Should any provisions of this Agreement beheld by a court of law to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, the legality,validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shallnot be affected or impaired thereby.

12.0                           Waiver.  The waiver by either Party of any provisionof this Agreement shall not operate to be construed as a waiver of any otherprovision by such Party.

13.0                           Aurora EPC Contract.  If and when adefinitive Aurora EPC Contract is executed, the Services provided and paymentsmade hereunder shall be considered to be work provided and advance paymentsunder the Aurora EPC Contract.  Inaddition, upon Owner’s release of the Notice to Proceed (NTP) under such AuroraEPC Contract, this Agreement shall automatically terminate in itsentirety.  In the event of suchtermination of this Agreement, the Aurora EPC Contract shall govern allServices previously performed and to have been performed, as well as all of theParties rights and obligations with respect to such Services.

14.0                         Third Party Guarantees.  If any of the Services requires the purchaseof equipment or materials or the procurement of services, Consultant shall, forthe protection of Owner, demand from all vendors and subcontractors guarantees,warranties, indemnities and/or insurance coverage (collectively “Guarantees”)with respect to such equipment, materials and services, which shall be madeavailable to Owner to the full extent of the terms thereof.  Consultant’s liability with respect to suchequipment and materials obtained from vendors or services from subcontractorsshall, except for Consultant’s obligations to pay such vendors orsubcontractors, be limited to procuring such Guarantees from such vendors orsubcontractor and rendering all reasonable assistance to Owner as part of theServices for the purpose of enforcing the same, which may include, withoutlimitation, enforcing such Guarantees, at Owner’s expense, if such Guaranteesare not assignable to Owner.

15.0                           Limitationof Liability.  NEITHER OWNER NOR CONSULTANT NOR THEIR RESPECTIVERELATED COMPANIES, AND SUBCONTRACTORS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT ORCONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT.  Consultant’s total liability to Owner for all claims, losses and damagesresulting in any way from this Agreement and the performance of the Servicesshall not exceed the amount that Owneractually paid to Consultant under this Agreement.  For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoinglimitations of liability do not excuse Consultant’s obligation under the lastsentence of Section 14 to render all reasonable assistance to Owner for thepurpose of enforcing the Guarantees.  Thelimitations, indemnities, waivers and release from liability expressed in thisAgreement shall apply regardless of the basis of liability, including withoutlimitation, contract, warranty, negligence or other fault, or strict liability;provided, however, such limitations and releases shall only be effective to themaximum extent allowed by law.  Owner represents that, prior tocommencement of any Services at a project site, it will obtain a release andwaiver of damages in accordance with the foregoing from any affiliated companythat owns or controls the project site. Ownerand Consultant waive, and each shall cause its respective insurance carriers inOwner’s and Consultant’s 

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Corporate Excess Liability program, as applicable, towaive, all rights of subrogation against each other with respect to theinsurance in such programs.  If and whena definitive Aurora EPC Contract is executed, the definitive Aurora EPCContract (or any relevant agreement executed in connection therewith) shallthereafter govern the Parties’ respective limitations on liabilities inconnection with the Services and this Agreement.

16.0                           Disputes.  In the event of any litigation to enforce orinterpret any terms or conditions of this Agreement, the Parties agree thatsuch appropriate action shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of the federalor state courts located in Nebraska, to the exclusion of any and all othercourts, forums, venues, and the Parties waive any and all right to contest theexclusivity of such forum, including any rights based upon the doctrine offorum non conveniens.  In the event eitherParty institutes suit in court against the other Party or against the surety ofsuch Party, in connection with any dispute or matter arising under thisAgreement, the prevailing Party shall be entitled to recover all costs,expenses and attorneys’ fees, in addition to any other relief granted by thecourt or arbitrator(s).  Both Partieshereby waive any and all rights to a trial by jury. In no event shall thelitigation of any controversy or the settlement thereof delay the performanceof this Agreement.

17.0                           Recordsand Audits.  Owner shall have the right to audit and inspect Consultant’srecords and accounts covering costs hereunder and Services provided hereunderat all reasonable times during the course of the Services and for a period oftwelve (12) months after completion of the Services; provided, however, thepurpose of any such audit shall be only for verification of such costs and suchServices.  Consultant shall not berequired to keep records of or provide access to costs covered by any fixedfee, unit rates or amounts expressed in terms of percentages of other costs.

18.0                           EarlyTermination.  Owner shall have theright to terminate this Agreement at any time upon prior written notice toConsultant.  In the event of suchtermination, Owner shall pay Consultant for all Services performed and allpayment obligations undertaken in Owner’s behalf, includingbreakage/cancellation charges required in subcontracts, prior to the date ofsuch termination.

19.0                           EntireAgreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between theParties hereto and supersedes any oral or written representation,understandings, proposals, or communications heretofore entered into by or onaccount of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and may not bechanged, modified, or amended except in writing signed by the Partieshereto.  The provisions of this Agreementare intended for the sole benefit of Consultant and Owner and their respective permitted successors and assigns, andeach of Consultant’s subcontractors, vendors and others to the extent expresslyprovided in this Agreement.

20.0                       Execution in Counterparts**. **This Agreement maybe executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed anoriginal, but all of which together shall constitute one and the sameinstrument.

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IN WITNESSWHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first writtenbelow.
| **“Owner”**    |               | **“Consultant”** |   |         |   |               |
|--------------------------|--------------------|----------------------------|--------|--------------|--------|--------------------|
| ** **               |               | ** **                 |   |         |   |               |
| Aventine  Renewable Inc. |               | Kiewit Energy Company      |   |         |   |               |
|                     |               |                       |   |         |   |               |
| By:                      | /s/                | Ronald H. Miller           |   | By:          | /s/    | Bradley J. Kaufman |   |   |   |   |
|                     |               |                       |   |         |   |               |   |   |
| Name:                    | Ronald H. Miller   |                       | Name:  | Brad Kaufman |   |               |   |   |
|                     |               |                       |   |         |   |               |   |
| Title:                   | President and  CEO |                       | Title: | President    |   |               |   |   |
|                     |               |                       |   |         |   |               |   |
| Date:                    | 3/17/07            |                       | Date:  | 3/12/07      |   |               |   |   |

** **

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**Exhibit A**

The confidentialinformation has been omitted and filed separately with the Securities andExchange Commission.

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