Grant for New WA Biodiesel Hub

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., earlier this week announced that Tidewater Terminal Company has been awarded $3,072,696 in federal matching funds to complete their Clean Energy Transition Project and establish a new major biodiesel distribution hub in the Tri-Cities.

The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.

Tidewater will use HBIIP and matching funding to install specialty equipment required for blending, storage and distribution of biodiesel fuels at the Snake River Terminal along the Columbia River in Pasco, Washington. These upgrades will allow Tidewater to receive net biodiesel by railcar, store it in two 400,000-gallon tanks, and blend and offload it for delivery through an upgraded and expanded truck rack. Once complete, Tidewater will have a dedicated truck bay for biodiesel and neat biodiesel, and capabilities to provide biodiesel to a pipeline serving the BNSF Railway's fueling system in its Pasco rail yard.

The Pasco facility will expand the annual availability of biodiesel for eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho by more than 12 million gallons per year. Tidewater will be able to provide as much as 2 million gallons per month to supply farmers during peak harvest times and plans to make the fuel available to BNSF Railway, which is seeking to cut its emissions by 30%. The planned opening for the facility is in 2024.

(c) Copyright 2023 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.