Baystate Biofuels LLC has broken ground on a facility to distribute biodiesel and blended diesel anywhere in New England. The terminal at Osgood Landing in North Andover will be the first full-scale commercial facility in Massachusetts dedicated to biodiesel distribution.
Utilizing a vacant brownfield with existing storage tanks, Baystate Biofuels plans to upgrade the site and open the facility by early August. The company, which first announced its plans in May 2009, anticipates creating 15 new jobs this year.
Baystate Biofuels will work closely with its business partners—rail, shipping, oil, and biodiesel companies—to be a turnkey supplier able to rapidly deliver biodiesel or blended product (biodiesel and petroleum diesel already mixed) in all six New England states. The company will provide B2 through B100 product and will customize service for customer needs. Baystate Biofuel’s product will enable customers to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Biofuels Act of 2008.
Starting in July 2010, diesel and home-heating oil sold in Massachusetts must contain 2% biodiesel in order to meet the requirements of state law. The blend requirements increase 1% each year until reaching 5% in 2013, creating a demand in Massachusetts that starts at 24 million gallons of biodiesel next year.
At the North Andover site, Baystate Biofuels will construct a loading rack for heating oil delivery trucks and tractor trailers for use with the two storage tanks. In addition, Baystate Biofuels plans to use solar power Osgood Landing had previously installed on the site, and Baystate Biofuels will tap into excess steam from a nearby waste-to-energy incinerator to heat the tanks to lower viscosity of the pure biodiesel.