Pure Biofuels Corp. has opened its main biodiesel production facility at Port Callao near Lima, Peru, kicking off the event with an inaugural celebration on Friday, August 15, which was attended by the United States Ambassador to Peru Peter Michael McKinley. The facility, which has a nameplate capacity of 52.5 million gallons per year, is expected to ramp up production as the year progresses.
President of Pure Biofuels Alberto Pinto said, “We are very proud to celebrate the opening of our main biodiesel production plant and very grateful for the support we received from the Peruvian government and our investors, who recognized that Peru's economic growth and expansion make it an attractive geography for alternative fuel production and development. We look forward to meeting the growing demand for alternative fuels and contributing to economic growth of Peru.”
Chris Tewell, Chairman of the Board, stated, “Our goal is to provide our customers with a renewable and biodegradable fuel option. We are pleased to have completed our flagship facility in time for the Peruvian mandate for 2% biodiesel that will take effect on January 1, 2009. This amount will be raised to 5% by 2011. As a next step, we look forward to carrying out our unique feedstock strategy in which we are cultivating Jatropha with the goal of meeting 80% of our feedstock needs with company-owned and harvested Jatropha by the year 2015. Our main goal is to work with raw materials not used for human consumption, therefore not requiring us to compete with water for farming or fields traditionally used for growing food.”
Besides the biodiesel production facility, the infrastructure includes a mooring facility capable of receiving Panamax vessels of up to 60,000 MT of bulk liquid cargo, and the two longest underwater pipes in Peru, running 4.1 kilometers both with a 14” diameter. The pipelines run to Pure’'92s tank farm, for reception and delivery of raw materials, and allow access to other fuels for blending, and for terminaling services. The site also sits near the La Pampilla Refinery, Peru’s largest refinery.
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