The Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op, which uses old cooking oil in its fuels, has opened its second Green & Go blending pump in the Cowichan Valley.
The new bio-diesel fuel pump, which was officially opened with great fanfare this month, is located at the Cowichan Petroleum Sales facility at 2999 Allenby Rd.
The co-op’s inaugural bio-fuel station is set up at the Bings Creek Recycling Centre, at 3900 Drinkwater Rd.
The co-op has been supplying access to 100 per cent bio-diesel made from recycled waste cooking oil collected from Vancouver Island restaurants since 2005.
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Co-op president Brian Roberts said, with bio-fuel pumps now set up in both the north and south sections of Duncan, the search is on for a location for a third pump to be established in a yet to be identified part of the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
“We’ve come a long way since we were selling bio-fuels in jugs at the Duncan Farmers’ Market many years ago,” Roberts said.
“Now we’re operating exactly like a gas station so people can more easily access our bio-fuels, which now comes in several blends as well.”
The cost of installing the new pump was approximately $100,000, with $20,000 towards the project coming from the Municipality of North Cowichan’s Climate Action & Energy Plan, and the rest from the province and the co-op’s own fundraising efforts.
Robert’s said bio-fuels are biodegradable, renewable, non-toxic, clean-burning and most diesel vehicles can use the fuel without any major modifications.
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He said that with more pumps and more bio-diesel fuels to choose from, it will be easier for people to convert to a more green way of driving and be more carbon neutral.
“We see electric vehicles as the long-term future of transportation, but we’re offering bio-fuels as a short-term option for people to clean up existing diesel technologies, which are recognized as being visibly more polluting,” Roberts said.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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