Greenleaf Biofuels Receives $1.3M Grant From State of Connecticut
Published March 18th, 2009
Greenleaf Biofuels, LLC, announced today it has signed a $1.3 million grant agreement with the State of Connecticut that will enable the company to build an alternative feedstock biodiesel production facility in New Haven harbor.
The grant to Greenleaf is the largest of several announced by Connecticut late last year and is part of the State’s production facility program to directly support biodiesel production. Greenleaf’s grant is underwritten by Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and administered through the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT).
“Projects such as this biodiesel facility and companies like Greenleaf are critical components to the state’s economic future,” said Joan McDonald, commissioner of DECD and chair of Connecticut Innovations. “Connecticut must continue to innovate and focus on developing new, cutting-edge jobs. We need to develop alternative sources of energy, breaking free from our dependence on foreign oil and using our natural resources more responsibly. These are key elements of a new economic development agenda that will lead the state in the next generation.”
Elliot Ginsberg, President and CEO of CCAT, said: “We look forward to working with Greenleaf as they grow their emerging enterprise into a larger business that can provide jobs and deliver solutions to the new energy marketplace. We are excited by Greenleaf’s cutting edge technology and market awareness that has outlined a pathway for their success.”
When completed in January 2010, the plant will be able to produce 6.7 million gallons of biodiesel annually from recycled waste materials, such as used cooking oil. This next-generation biofuel plant will be a model of sustainability and will use little water, generate little waste and apply other proved principles of green chemistry. When fully operational, the state-of-the-art plant will produce pure non-fossil, environmentally friendly heating oil and transportation fuels that can be used as direct replacements or as supplements to conventional petroleum distillates.
Discussing the Greenleaf New Haven facility, Gus Kellogg, founder and CEO of Greenleaf, said: “The technology for building advanced biodiesel processing facilities is ready now to meet customer needs at prices competitive even at today’s suddenly lower fuel prices. In the future, we believe our products will become even more attractive to energy customers. That’s because, since the 1970’s when current energy supply and related environmental issues first emerged, fossil fuel prices have mostly trended upward.”
“As a result,” Mr. Kellogg stated, “virtually any time is the best time to invest in renewables, and we are pleased that Connecticut, DECD and CCAT see the need and the opportunity from this same, forward-looking perspective. By receiving this substantial next-stage funding, Greenleaf can now help the state to ensure better preparedness to cope with fuel shortages and price spikes that are virtually certain to repeat themselves periodically in the years ahead.”
About Greenleaf Biofuels, LLC
Greenleaf Biofuels develops, markets and distributes biodiesel fuels for home heating and motor vehicles, providing an economical renewable energy alternative or supplement to fossil fuels. Its products include Biodezl™ and Bioheat™ fuels, which are cleaner burning, domestic and renewable, and are refined from plant oil, animal fat, recycled cooking oil or waste grease. Founded in 2004, Greenleaf is headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut. For further information, please visit www.greenleafbiofuels.com.
