Freedom expands biodiesel availability

Brisbane, Australia-based Freedom Fuels has opened a new service station on the Warrego Highway between Ipswich and Toowoomba, retailing its biodiesel mix, a renewable fuel produced from oil seed crops or animal by-products such as tallow. Freedom Fuels was one of the first companies to sign up to the Australian state government’s A$4.8 million (US$3.75 million) Queensland Ethanol Conversion Initiative (QECI). The initiative aims to boost the consumption and distribution of ethanol blended fuels in Queensland by providing support to fuel retailers to install the fuel at the bowser. Through QECI, the government helped Freedom Fuels convert 40 service stations to ethanol across its distribution network. Freedom Fuels’ renewable fuels project manager Natalie Tuffley says the company has committed A$2.74 million (US$2.14 million) rolling out ethanol-blended fuels across its network in Southeast Queensland.(December 15, 2006)