Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. (GPRE) SEC Filing 10-K Annual report for the fiscal year ending Monday, December 31, 2012

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

Green Plains Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2012 Financial Results

Results for the Fourth Quarter of 2012

Results for the Full Year of 2012

OMAHA, NEB. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – February 6, 2013 –

For the quarter ended December 31, 2012, net income attributable to Green Plains was $33.0 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, compared to $13.3 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, for the same period in 2011. Revenues were $883.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to $922.8 million during the same period in 2011.

“All of our business segments reported positive operating income during both the fourth quarter and the last half of 2012. We believe this demonstrates the effectiveness of our low-cost platform and our ability to manage risk. For the fourth year in a row, our business was profitable and, with the sale of the 12 grain elevators, we continue to focus on creating value for our shareholders,” stated Todd Becker, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We ended 2012 with $280 million in cash and the lowest ethanol plant debt in our history. This positions us for the future to take advantage of growth and diversification opportunities and to continue to withstand the cyclicality of our business.”

“The forward curve for ethanol margins has not given our team a reason to execute significant amounts of forward hedges. Recently, nearby margins have recovered somewhat but remain below historical levels. With that said, our growth in non-ethanol operating income over the last two years will continue to cushion the effect of a compressed margin structure,” said Becker. “We expect to generate over $60 million of non-ethanol operating income this year, even considering the recent sale of certain agribusiness assets.”

In December 2012, Green Plains completed the previously-announced sale of 12 grain elevators located in northwestern Iowa and western Tennessee. The sale resulted in an after-tax gain of $26.3 million which is included in fourth quarter 2012 results. Excluding the gain on the sale of agribusiness assets, net income attributable to Green Plains was $6.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter.

“Over the next two years, we plan to realign our agribusiness investment,” stated Becker. “We plan to add between five and ten million bushels of grain storage capacity per year. These assets will be located around our ethanol plants to take advantage of our current infrastructure and enhance our corn origination and trading capabilities. Redefining our agribusiness strategy in this way should allow us to leverage our seven million ton processing capacity to aggressively compete for first-handle grain margins. This minimal investment per bushel should provide solid long-term returns for our shareholders.”

Full-year 2012 EBITDA, which is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, noncontrolling interests, depreciation and amortization, was $115.5 million compared to $148.6 million in 2011. Green Plains had $280.1 million in total cash and equivalents and $121.4 million available under committed loan agreements at subsidiaries (subject to satisfaction of specified lending conditions and covenants) at December 31, 2012. For reconciliations of EBITDA to net income attributable to Green Plains, see “EBITDA” below.

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