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Firm to build 75 biofuel filling stations in California

Efforts to establish more than 75 new renewable fuel filling stations across California over the next two years got underway this week.

Celebrations were held on Tuesday in Oakland, at the first of 20 new alternative refueling stations planned for the Bay Area.

It was announced that the program, called the Low Carbon Fuel Infrastructure Investment Initiative (LCFI3), will be supported by a $10.9 million grant from the US Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission.

Propel Fuels, which is putting in the new “Clean Fuel Points”, will match the grant with $16 million of private investment.

The installation of greener filling stations is expected to create more than 450 jobs in the state, and see the displacement of 39 million gallons of petroleum.

Propel Fuels, which has offices in Redwood City, said California boasts the largest fleet of alternative fuel fleet vehicles in the US, making the state an “ideal partner” for the project.

There are around half a million people in the state driving “Flex Fuel” cars, which can run on any proportion of ethanol blended with gasoline up to 85% ethanol (E85).

Propel’s Clean Fuel Points are designed to dispense both E85 ethanol fuel and biodiesel.

“Critical link”

Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels. “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.”

Propel has already begun construction of the station locations in major markets across California.

Three locations are open in the Bay Area – Fremont, Oakland and South San Jose – while more sites are planned for Downtown San Jose, North San Jose, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Livermore, and Concord in the coming months.

Along with the new filling stations, the LCFI3 program will run education and community outreach programs, working with community partners CALSTART and East Bay Clean Cities, to raise awareness about alternative fuels.

Richard Battersby, Director of the East Bay Clean Cities Coalition, said: “Clean Cities is focused on reducing our nation’s consumption of petroleum fuels, and the best way to do this is by making alternative fuels available.”

Propel Fuels also has five Clean Fuel Points in Washington State, and ambitions to install facilities in Oregon.