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| Community Fuels Stockton, California |
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| Friday, 21 July 2006 | |
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Community Fuels, a startup biodiesel production company, plans to build its first plant at the Port of Stockton. The company expects to get into full production next year, employing 15 people at the facility producing up to 10 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
Port officials approved Monday a lease of 2 acres and 40,000 square feet of warehouse space to Community Fuels.
The National Biodiesel Board estimates 75 million gallons of biodiesel was sold in the US last year, exponentially higher than the 2 million gallons sold in 2000.
Community Fuels' new plant should help further California Energy Commission policies seeking to increase use of petroleum alternatives, commission spokesman Rob Schlichting said.
There are four existing biodiesel plants in California producing about 12 million gallons of biodiesel a year, according to Schlichting.
Of the Community Fuels project relative to state fuel consumption, he noted: "We use 10 million gallons of diesel a day, so maybe they would supply one day's worth."
Lisa Mortenson, company chief executive officer, said Stockton was chosen for Community Fuels' first plant because of its location near Central Valley agriculture as well as the San Francisco Bay Area.
"You need to match the agricultural inputs with the end users and the production," she said.
While the company hopes to begin biodiesel production by using soy or canola oil brought by train from the Midwest, it will look to cultivate a California source for feedstocks.
The plant also could use animal fats, waste vegetable oils, sunflower and other virgin vegetable oils in production.
David Smith, Singapore
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