Clean Energy first commercial distributor of biomethane fuel

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced it will be the first company to commercially distribute its signature biomethane fuel “Redeem” across 35 stations in California.

“It’s a landmark day for Clean Energy as the first company to make this revolutionary and renewable transportation fuel made from waste available to our customers,” said Andrew Littlefair, president and CEO of Clean Energy. He added the company’s goal is to produce and distribute 15 million gallons of its Redeem fuel in its first year, assist California meet its climate change goals and prove the fuel is a viable alternative fuel source.

Clean Energy hopes to keep its California retail infrastructure flowing with Redeem as the state’s fuel infrastructure grows, said Harrison Clay, president of Clean Energy’s renewable fuels division. He added Clean Energy will focus on California’s initial market, which is economically beneficial to the biofuel, before rolling out its signature biogas into other states.   “I don’t know if we have a state that’s the next big target,” said Clay. “We’ll go where the demand for natural gas fuel is the highest. I know we opened our LNG truck stop stations in Texas, so that might be a good market for us.”

The biomethane is produced from extracting methane gas from Clean Energy’s landfills and other waste streams, cleaned and processed by a production facility and deposited into the interstate natural gas pipeline. It is available as compressed or liquefied natural gas forms.

California Air Resource Board estimated the biomethane could yield a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions when displacing diesel or gasoline. “Clean Energy’s new Redeem product will help cut greenhouse gas emissions on our roads while providing customers a lower-priced fuel when compared to gasoline or diesel,” said Mary Nichols, board chairman of California Air Resource Board.

Clay said the future of biogas usage is very promising. “We’re offering a one-of-a-kind, lowest cost and best breed of alternative fuel. We can offer fuel to our customers that can meet 100 percent of the fuel requirements of an 18-wheeler without a sacrifice in performance that can be offered and sold to them cheaper than petroleum fuel products,” he said.