Nebraska Ethanol Board offers ethanol fuel training to retailers
The Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) will offer fuel retailer training to install ethanol blends of 15% (E15) and higher during a free workshop in August.
The workshop is being offered in response to the recent lifting of a ban on the sales of E15 during the summer months by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Consumers driving vehicles manufactured in 2001 or later can access E15 fuel year-round.
As 15% ethanol blends are on average 3-7 cents (€0.02-0.06) cheaper per gallon than E10 fuel, retailers offering E15 fuel are experiencing an increase in customers looking to fill up with the higher ethanol blend.
“In 2017, our sales of E15 increased over 300%; in 2018, they went up another 225%,” said Randy Gard, COO of Bosselman Enterprises. “And with the help of President Trump opening the door for year-round E15, our newest projections for this year show an increase of another 400%.”
Bosselman Enterprises operates a total of 45 Pump & Pantry convenience stores in Nebraska, and has offered E15 fuel since 2016. According to Gard, sales growth has been huge and the lift of the summer ban offers a considerable market opportunity.
Many fuel retailers believe that the cost of adding higher ethanol blends is prohibitive, however Roger Berry, administrator for the NEB disagrees. The free workshop should help to dispel these myths and educate fuel retailers on the benefits and ease of offering E15.
Attendees will learn about best practices from those who have seen the success of selling higher ethanol blends, hear a keynote speech from the American Coalition of Ethanol’s Ron Lamberty, and find out more about the resources available to make implementing and labelling fuel infrastructure easy and affordable.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about the costs associated with adding E15 to the pump,” Berry said. “Many gas stations can begin to sell E15 with very little investment in their current infrastructure. If a pre-blended E15 is available at the rack where the fuel retailer sources their fuel, they can often times replace one of their current choices, such as an 89 octane mid-grade that they generally sell very little of, with very little to no investment.
“Of course they must have the Nebraska State Fire Marshall’s office out for an inspection prior to putting E15 in that tank and dispensing it through the dispenser. The retailer does not have to install the more expensive blender pumps in order to sell E15.”
To help with the costs, the Nebraska Corn Board is running a grant programme that will award qualifying retailers money for equipment and infrastructure to be able to add higher ethanol fuel blends to their offering.
Moreover, the increase in E15 sales will provide an additional value-added market for farmers and ethanol plants in Nebraska, who have been impacts by poor weather, US export tariffs and the EPA’s latest round of small refinery exemptions.
The workshop is being offered in response to the recent lifting of a ban on the sales of E15 during the summer months by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Consumers driving vehicles manufactured in 2001 or later can access E15 fuel year-round.
As 15% ethanol blends are on average 3-7 cents (€0.02-0.06) cheaper per gallon than E10 fuel, retailers offering E15 fuel are experiencing an increase in customers looking to fill up with the higher ethanol blend.
“In 2017, our sales of E15 increased over 300%; in 2018, they went up another 225%,” said Randy Gard, COO of Bosselman Enterprises. “And with the help of President Trump opening the door for year-round E15, our newest projections for this year show an increase of another 400%.”
Bosselman Enterprises operates a total of 45 Pump & Pantry convenience stores in Nebraska, and has offered E15 fuel since 2016. According to Gard, sales growth has been huge and the lift of the summer ban offers a considerable market opportunity.
Many fuel retailers believe that the cost of adding higher ethanol blends is prohibitive, however Roger Berry, administrator for the NEB disagrees. The free workshop should help to dispel these myths and educate fuel retailers on the benefits and ease of offering E15.
Attendees will learn about best practices from those who have seen the success of selling higher ethanol blends, hear a keynote speech from the American Coalition of Ethanol’s Ron Lamberty, and find out more about the resources available to make implementing and labelling fuel infrastructure easy and affordable.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about the costs associated with adding E15 to the pump,” Berry said. “Many gas stations can begin to sell E15 with very little investment in their current infrastructure. If a pre-blended E15 is available at the rack where the fuel retailer sources their fuel, they can often times replace one of their current choices, such as an 89 octane mid-grade that they generally sell very little of, with very little to no investment.
“Of course they must have the Nebraska State Fire Marshall’s office out for an inspection prior to putting E15 in that tank and dispensing it through the dispenser. The retailer does not have to install the more expensive blender pumps in order to sell E15.”
To help with the costs, the Nebraska Corn Board is running a grant programme that will award qualifying retailers money for equipment and infrastructure to be able to add higher ethanol fuel blends to their offering.
Moreover, the increase in E15 sales will provide an additional value-added market for farmers and ethanol plants in Nebraska, who have been impacts by poor weather, US export tariffs and the EPA’s latest round of small refinery exemptions.
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