News Article

The drive to increase consumer interest in ‘green’ fuels continues across the North East with the opening of the third in a series of garage forecourts selling only environmentally-friendly biodiesel.

The Blackgate Garage in Coxhoe, County Durham, is now open as a ‘One Green Route’, a specially branded forecourt promoting it as a provider of solely biodiesel fuels.

The One Green Route project has been introduced by regional development agency One North East and members of the North East Biofuels consortium. The aim is to raise sales of green fuels and, in doing so, help improve the environment and support those farmers growing the oilseed rape used in the manufacture of biodiesel.

Blackgate Garage is owned by Andrew Peel, who has run the family business for the past 25 years in Coxhoe. He said: “Although this is very early days and time will tell how well sales go, I was keen to look at focusing the business on environmentally-friendly fuels as a way to offer wider choice to drivers. The new green branding iscertainly distinctive and will hopefully set us apart from other forecourts.”

The biodiesel being pumped at Blackgate Garage is being supplied by Stokesley-based, Noble Fuels Ltd.

   
Derek Noble of Noble Fuels said. ' We have been supplying biodiesel for four years, during which time demand has steadily increased. The ' One Green Route' project will accelerate demand more rapidly.
 
" We think it is very important for us to support our farmers to diversify and use their land as profitably as possible, in different ways. The growing of energy crops for biodiesel and other uses is an an increasingly viable option for local farmers and we hope that the expansion of the One Green Route network will ultimately benefit North East growers"
 
 Support from One North East will enable a total of 30 One Green Routes to be opened across North East England over the next two years.

Frances Rowe, rural and environment manager, One North East, explained: “We are delighted at the support shown by Andrew and the other independent garage owners in Witton-le-Wear and Low Willington who are turning over to purely biodiesel products and we hope others across the region will follow their lead.

“Our involvement in North East Biofuels aims to further the region’s reputation as a leader in the field of alternative energy and fuel development and production.”

In addition to the roll-out of the One Green Routes, North East Biofuels’ other major project is the development of a rapeseed oil crushing facility in the Tees Valley that can be used by biodiesel producers such as the Biofuels Corporation complex being built on Seal Sands.
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For more information please contact: Abi Kelly, press office, ONE NorthEast on Tel: (0191) 2296308, mobile no: 0791 9696374.
e-mail: Abigail.Kelly@onenortheast.co.uk