A company that owns and operates eco-minded filling stations has received a $10.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
and California Energy Commission (CEC) to build and operate 75
retail renewable fuel stations throughout California over the
next two years.
The company, called Propel Fuels, will match this grant with $16 million in private
investment to accelerate the build-out of a statewide
network of so-called Clean Fuel Points, which are designed to dispense both E85 ethanol fuel and biodiesel.
The station development project, known as the Low Carbon
Fuel Infrastructure Investment Initiative (LCFI3),is said to have the
potential to create more than 450 green jobs in California,
while displacing 39 million gallons of petroleum and 187,500
tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Propel has already begun construction of the station locations
in major markets across California, with the network of 75
stations funded by this project to be complete by the end of
2011. Currently there are three locations open in the Bay
Area (Fremont, Oakland, South San Jose) with additional sites
planned for Downtown San Jose, North San Jose, Berkeley, Palo
Alto, Redwood City, Livermore, and Concord in the coming
months.
“As advanced biofuel production facilities prepare to break ground in the state, this fueling infrastructure is a critical link between California’s citizens and the next generation of low carbon fuels,” said
Matt
Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels.
Approximately $6.9 million of the project funding was awarded by the U.S. DOE Clean Cities’ Petroleum Reduction program, with another $4 million granted through the state of California’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology program. Both programs are working to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the use of alternative fuels through implementation of innovative technologies.
Along with the new station build-?out, alternative fuel education and community outreach are a critical piece of LCFI3. Propel will work with community partners CALSTART and East Bay Clean Cities to educate consumers and fleets on the wide spread benefits of low carbon, alternative fuels available today and those next generation fuels coming in the future.
“Presently in California more than one million diesel and Flex Fuel passenger cars are capable of running on renewable fuels, but there hasn’t been a sufficient number of renewable fuel stations,” said John Boesel, President and CEO of CALSTART. “This program takes a major step forward by creating 75 new renewable stations which will give consumers the choice to say 'no' to oil dependence, 'yes' to the American economy and 'yes" to the environment."
