Biofuel Briefs
Targray to Market Biodiesel From Bakersfield, Calif., Rack
OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- Global trading and distribution company Targray has announced a new inventory location for biodiesel in Bakersfield, Calif., which began service for B99 and B100 in mid-February.
"Targray has been a major supplier of biodiesel by railcar to the California market," said Andrew Richardson, president of Targray. "We are pleased to take it a step further by providing our customers with this strategic California inventory location able to serve both the North and the South."
Targray will supply biodiesel to its growing customer base in the state using the terminal's 24/7 truck rack.
Targray Vice President Dan Murray said the company has several active customers in the state and is making them "aware that they can pick up full truckloads or even splash blend with us now in Bakersfield."
Marathon Petroleum to Acquire Cincinnati Biodiesel Plant
STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- Marathon Petroleum Corp. said in a news release Monday, Feb. 3, it has signed an agreement to purchase a 4,100-barrel-per-day biodiesel production plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, from Felda Iffco Sdn Bhd, Malaysia.
"MPC has been a producer and large blender of ethanol for many years, and this acquisition will broaden our renewable fuels portfolio with a quality asset," said Mike Palmer, senior vice president, supply distribution and planning.
The plant produces biodiesel and glycerin.
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Palmer said Marathon continues to increase its biodiesel blending volumes and this acquisition "will be a natural value chain fit," adding the facility is located in the heart of MPC's Midwest assets, providing efficiencies for product supply logistics.
The transaction is expected to close in April. Details of the transaction are not being disclosed.
MPC is the nation's fourth-largest refiner, with a crude oil refining capacity of approximately 1.7 million bpd in its seven-refinery system. Marathon brand gasoline is sold through 5,200 independently owned retail outlets across 18 states.
Three Biodiesel Firms Form Ontario Biodiesel Association
STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- Three Ontario-based biodiesel producers have joined forces to form the Ontario Biodiesel Association to promote the production and use of biodiesel to coincide with a planned biodiesel mandate in the Canadian province.
The three founding firms are Methes Energies Canada Inc., Great Lakes Biodiesel and Noroxel Energy Ltd. with a combined biodiesel annual production capacity of more than 60 million gallons.
OBA members have invested more than $80 million in plant and equipment to produce biodiesel in the province, a news release issued Thursday, Jan. 30, stated.
Ontario Minister of Finance Charles Sousa last July began the process to develop a 2% biodiesel blend mandate for the province.
"OBA's strength is the unity of biodiesel producers, supporting provincial policy development to improve Ontario's air quality by promoting the increased use of biodiesel," said Paul Grenier, executive director for the OBA.
"The timing of a mandate in Ontario could not be better and we are hoping for an early implementation as early as April 2014," said Nicholas Ng, Methes president.
Epic Midstream Inks Biodiesel Storage Deal with US Oil
STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- Epic Midstream, based in Houston, Texas, signed a 10-year agreement with U.S. Ventures subsidiary U.S. Oil for biodiesel storage at Epic's terminals, two each in Georgia and Alabama.
"We did a deal with U.S. Ventures, a subsidiary of U.S. oil of Appleton, Wis.," David Vaptimo, president of Epic told Schneider Electric late Tuesday. "They will be exclusive providers of biodiesel."
The four terminals are located in Montgomery and Moundville, Ala., and Bremen and Macon, Ga. U.S. Oil will also store ultra-low sulfur diesel, Vaptimo said.
Epic will make tank and rack improvements at each of the receiving sites along the Plantation Pipeline to support the new products.
Epic currently offers 65 tanks with more than 1.8 million barrels (bbl) of product storage, throughout the United States.
Myke Feinman can be reached at myke.feinman@dtn.com
(BM/AG)
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