Innovation Fuels, a New York-based renewable energy company, has begun selling biodiesel to customers from its Midwestern fuels hub at the Port of Milwaukee, Wis., on Lake Michigan.
The 312,000-barrel-capacity terminal is the first in the country that is totally dedicated for the sale and distribution of renewable fuels, the company said.

"The commencement of selling biodiesel via our Milwaukee terminal will significantly lower the cost of our biodiesel to customers in the Great Lakes due to lower transportation charges," said John Fox, CEO for Innovation Fuels. "We also bring along a mindset of quality at a reasonable price, which is backed by our BQ9000 credentials as a marketer and producer in the Northeast United States."

The terminal has truck and rail loading via nearby Interstate highways and two Class I railroads. The Port of Milwaukee has international shipping access via the St. Lawrence Seaway and can receive river barge cargo via the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The facility also has an idled connection to the Westshore petroleum pipeline, which could be used to bring in diesel and gasoline to the terminal for blending with biodiesel and ethanol.

Originally built as Shell Oil's Milwaukee headquarters in the 1950s and acquired from NuStar Energy LP, the Innovation Fuels terminal sits on 10 acres and includes a 20,000 square foot warehouse, executive offices and a garage.

"This signifies only the beginning of using this facility as an actual renewable fuels hub in the Midwest," remarked Richard "Hardy" Sawall, Innovation Fuels' senior VP for Midwest Operations. "We expect to announce plans for additional capabilities including biodiesel blending very shortly."

"This is indeed a momentous occasion as we begin to promote and distribute renewable fuels in Milwaukee," commented Garland Middendorf, president of Wolf Lake Terminals, the operations partner for the terminal. "Our partnership with Innovation Fuels signifies our commitment to the growth of sustainable energy and to become an industry leader both in the Midwest and across the U.S."