San Diego biodiesel producer New Leaf Biofuel was awarded a grant from the California Energy Commission to expand its production facility in Barrio Logan. The facility, which has been operating since 2008, currently produces 2 million gallons per year of biodiesel from recycled cooking oil sourced from Southern California restaurants. New Leaf’s expansion plans include an increase in production capacity to 5 million gallons per year and the installation of a cogeneration system to reduce the carbon intensity of the fuel. The biodiesel produced at New Leaf’s plant will result in a 90% reduction in carbon intensity compared to petroleum diesel, which makes New Leaf’s fuel the lowest carbon fuel produced in California.
Jennifer Case, Chief Executive Officer of New Leaf Biofuel, is ecstatic with the news of the proposed award. “The widespread use of biodiesel and other low carbon fuels is absolutely crucial to achieve state and local carbon reduction goals. With the award of the CEC grant, New Leaf will be able to offer more well-paying green jobs to our citizens and will be able to focus even more on community outreach.” Jennifer is a board member on the San Diego Regional Clean Cities Coalition. “The Clean Cities Coalition and the City of San Diego have been very supportive of New Leaf from the beginning and we couldn’t be more thankful.”
