Country’s first green fuel outlet opens

THE first filling station in the Republic to sell a “green” fuel as an alternative to diesel has opened in Cork.

The pure plant oil (PPO) which is being sold from Great Gas’s first outlet in Ballyhea, North Cork, is made from Irish-grown rapeseed oil and is nearly 20c per litre cheaper than diesel. However, diesel engines have to undergo a €1,600 upgrade to run on the new bio-fuel.

Supplied by Eilish Oils in Wicklow, PPO was selling for 89.5c in Ballyhea yesterday - diesel was 108.9c.

Finance Minister Brian Cowen has exempted a limited number of suppliers of PPO, including Eilish Oils, from excise duty as part of a two-year pilot project.

Some State agencies, including the parks and wildlife service of the Department of the Environment, and Cork city council, are running vehicles on bio-fuels on a pilot basis.

Michelle Gleeson, co-owner of Great Gas Ballyhea, said PPO has been available on her forecourt for the last two weeks.

And while initial sales have been relatively slow, she said being in a position to offer the green alternative was an important first step.

She invested €20,000 in a special tank and pump imported from Germany to handle the fuel.

“Supply is limited, this is a pilot project. But if it was never there, it would never happen,” she said.

Ms Gleeson is also a co-director of Great Gas, a new national brand set up by petrol forecourt owners.

She said it is hoped to develop 100 Great Gas service stations across the country by 2010.

The next outlet is due to open within two weeks in Skibbereen in West Cork. It has yet to be decided whether or not PPO will be available on that forecourt.

Gerry Murphy, chairman of Great Gas said he was delighted the Ballyhea garage was the first forecourt in Ireland to invest in the infrastructure to allow its customers to “help save the planet”.

Great Gas has an alliance with www.ecocar.ie for PPO biofuel engine upgrades.

nwww.greatgas.com