Houston Area Power Plant Runs Entirely on Biodiesel

Biofuels Power plans to build a series of biodiesel powered electric generating plants to serve residential and industrial customers in the Houston Metropolitan area.

The Oak Ridge North facility has a capacity of up to 5 megawatts (MW) and uses three diesel powered Caterpillar generators that run exclusively on biodiesel fuel produced by the Safe Renewables refinery located within two miles of the power plant. Safe Renewables Corp. (SRC), which currently supplies biodiesel fuel for power generation and transportation requirements, and produces biodiesel from renewable sources including soy, cottonseed, canola oil and animal fats.

"We believe the new Oak Ridge North plant will be a showcase installation for environmentally conscious companies that want to reduce their air pollution footprint by satisfying their electricity needs with carbon neutral and 100% renewable fuels. We are proud that the Oak Ridge North facility is one of the cleanest generating facilities in the country. We also believe this first important step in urban renewable power can reduce America's dependence on foreign oil while significantly benefiting our domestic agricultural economy," said Ken Crimmins, COO of Biofuels Power.

"Those of us trading in the nation's largest commodities market are conscious of the need for renewable fuels derived from agricultural products," said Jay Pierce, President of M1, which financed a partnership with Texoga BioFuels Ltd., to provide funding for the Oak Ridge North project. "We are pleased to be at the forefront of this new industry. It's the right thing to do."

Biofuels Power is now constructing a larger turbine-based biodiesel power plant at the Safe Renewables' refinery site. The second facility is expected to deliver over 10 MW into the Entergy power grid that delivers electricity to customers in East Texas and Louisiana. Renewable power projects such as these can ultimately provide "islands of power," protecting areas from blackouts.