Greener gas cleared for ETH station
(CNS): Refuel has been given the green light by the Central Planning Authority to begin work on a second gas station for the ethanol supplier and the first fuel stop on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. Dow Travers, the owner of the islands’ only supplier of the alternative bio-based gas products, has been trying to expand for years but an earlier application was refused. However, a change of orientation and design of the proposed gas station was heard by the authority and cleared last week. Travers told CNS that he has the financing in place and hopes to break ground very soon but it could be a year before the station opens because of the processes it will need to go through.
“Our Vision is to make modern renewable content fuels commonplace in Cayman, and we have been restricted from furthering that goal for some time,” he said. “We still need to see what conditions might be part of the approval, and then go through the Building Control Unit process, which can take between 6-12 months, but we have the financing in place to break ground as soon as the regulatory requirements are met. This additional station when it hits scale will help Cayman reduce emissions from fossil fuels by around 400,000lbs a month on top of our existing station, and allow for improved scale and cost saving synergies that will help us further reduce the price to the consumer.”
As well as dealing with roadblocks in the planning application, Travers has also battled with the fuel regulator, which has blocked Refuel’s progress because of claims that the retail market is overcrowded and there are already too many gas stations in Cayman. However, all except one are part of the existing Sol-Rubis duopoly offering regular oil. Refuel is the first and only company offering the alternative ethanol and biodiesel products, which are greener and more economical.
Thanking everyone involved in the process to move Refuel closer to its expansion, Travers said that a report published by the Public Accounts Committee in 2020, which had looked at how OfReg had been regulating the sector, summed up what he has been saying for some time: “The PAC recommends that the Government ensures that its legislation and policy in respect to energy and fuels are aligned across government to encourage innovation and ensure best prices for consumers.”
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Category: Business, development, Fuel, Local News
Inform yourselves,
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1077734_ethanol-in-your-gasoline-tank-the-pros-and-cons
I like the idea of competition, but a new gas station being built when car manufacturing is heading to almost 100% electric in the near future?!?!
“Near future”? You do realize there is a difference between newly produced cars and the existing global fleet, yes? 100% EV is many years away in the case of the former and many decades away in the case of the latter.
Great decision. Now I don’t have to drive as far to get my gas.
I have been using their fuel since they opened their airport location.Love their prices, customer service and of course my car loves their fuel as well.
Thanks Refuel!
Lol. CNS, all fossil fuels are bio-based. And E10 isn’t exactly ground-breaking renewable. Let’s let Dow undertake his marketing spin with paid advertisements, shall we? Hope he can cover his business investment in the next 10-15 years, as ICE passenger vehicles will need to go the path of the Dodo to achieve emissions reductions targets, irrespective of how much corn is used to turn wheels.
Claiming that all fossil fuels are bio-based is a bit of an over simplification. The carbon dioxide released instantly into the atmosphere when a fossil fuel is burned had been locked away for up to hundreds of millions of years underground.
Conversely, when a bio fuel is burned the carbon dioxide released was just pulled from the atmosphere very recently through photosynthesis to grow the plant used for fuel.
Consequently, hen that biofuel is burned, it’s returning the same carbon dioxide to the atmosphere that was just removed. That’s the main point here.
So why does the State of Florida have a law that all gasoline sold in that state must have a minimum 10% ethanol?
Good on him, he’s just buying and importing fuel like you would buy something off Amazon, and comes in containers all the same. On the other hand it will always be cheaper if you don’t have all the staff and infrastructure required to keep like 30 stations, the airlines, and CUC stocked with fuel at all times.
It doesnt matter to me because Im not going to buy it but please people dont be fooled by this greener BS
I’m satisfied with the better price.
But how do you like filling up more often because of the lower mileage per tank? I don’t see how you are saving anything if you are buying more of it than regular gasoline.
5:34, You do realize that all gasoline / diesel fuel sold in the U.S. and Canada has between 10 and 15% in every gallon? Time for drivers like you to get out of you 1980’s mind set and drive into 2021.
Environmental stupidity has no place in Cayman. See you at Refuel.
Yeah, it is going to hurt the fueling stations you own for certain.
Only thing greener about it is the color of their pumps.
Go for it!
Triumph for common sense and the public’s pocket. A few more of these and see what happens with the duopoly’s pricing!.
Hopefully PACT will build the proper bike lanes promised and failed by NRA/PPM, and for “the last mile” leave more of our unnecessary cars at home.