Web exclusive posted March 12, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. CST

Boston-based World Energy Alternatives LLC is partnering with Petroleum Fuel Terminal Co. in Greensboro, N.C., to develop the state's first biodiesel bulk storage and blending facility. Funding for the project is being provided by PFTC, in addition to a $150,000 Clean Fuel Advanced Technology grant from the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University. The grant funding will cover approximately 60 percent of the projected $250,000 project cost.

The project will convert an existing 172,000-gallon storage tank at PFTC's Greensboro terminal to store B100 for blending with petroleum-based diesel. The tank will be insulated and heated to ensure proper storage during cold months.

"This is an important step for biodiesel in North Carolina," said David Shiflett, vice president for business development at World Energy. "With a bulk storage and blending facility located alongside major East Coast pipelines that bring petroleum from the Gulf Coast, Greensboro can become a biofuels distribution hub, as well." As a biodiesel supplier, World Energy supports improving infrastructure for the marketing and usage of biodiesel. "We have partnered with various companies over the years to build out blending and storage facilities," said John Kellogg, World Energy director of communications. "Our mission as a company is to expand infrastructure."

North Carolina's Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project is a three-year, $2 million initiative of the Clean Transportation Program of the North Carolina Solar Center, which is funded by the North Carolina Energy Office.

The joint initiative involves the solar center, the state energy office, the North Carolina Division of Air Quality, and the Federal Highway Administration's Congestion Mitigation and Air Improvement Program. All of the groups are administered by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to provide education outreach and transportation-related emission reductions in 24 North Carolina counties that meet national ambient air-quality standards. "These kind of public-private partnerships are very important to move forward the biofuels industry in North Carolina, an industry that can help us reduce our reliance on imported oil, stimulate economic development and improve air quality," said Anne Tazewell, program manager at the solar center.