September 09, 2010
Ord station adds ethanol blender pump, fifth in Nebraska
Published in Grand Island Independent
ORD -- Nebraska will add its fifth blender pump at a special ceremony this morning in Ord.
According to the Nebraska Corn Board, Country Partners Cooperative will host a blender pump grand opening Thursday at their location at 424 N. 14th St. in Ord.
Country Partners will have specials on E10, E20, E30 and E85 starting at 10 a.m. and lasting until 2 p.m. In addition to the fuel specials, door prizes and drawings will be held, as well as a BBQ served by the local FFA chapter.
Blender pumps are also located in Grand Island, Chappel, Geneva and Ainsworth.
Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board, said the opening of another blender pump in Nebraska "creates opportunities for those owners of flex-fuel vehicles to fuel with mid-level blends."
Brunkhorst said Nebraska has 59 E85 locations.
He said hopefully later this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will approve the sale of E15, which will help increase sales of ethanol nationwide.
"It would be for all vehicles and will continue to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, which is our ultimate goal," Brunkhorst said.
Nebraska is the nation's second leading ethanol producer. With 24 operating ethanol plants, Nebraska has a production capacity of 2 billion gallons, using around 600 million bushels of corn, which is about 30-35 percent of Nebraska's annual corn production.
With more than 95 percent of the ethanol produced in Nebraska exported out of the state, Brunkhorst said ethanol use in Nebraska has room to grow, especially with the increasing number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road and the likelihood of the EPA increasing the blend percentage of ethanol allowed in non-flex-fuel vehicles from 10 percent to 15 percent. Current figures indicate that about 75 percent of the gasoline sold in Nebraska contains ethanol, primarily E10.
And that's why the Nebraska Corn Board is working to increase the number of both E85 pumps and blender fuel pumps in the state.
Brunkhorst said that Country Partner's blender pump was financially supported in part by the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) through a blender pump grant program offered to those considering installing blender pumps in Nebraska.
"With the incentive being offered by the Nebraska Corn Board and the growing number of flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) being driven across the U.S., blender pumps are one avenue to help get the ethanol industry past the blend wall," said Curt Friesen of Henderson, a member of the Nebraska Corn Board and chairman of the board's market development committee.
Other incentives and credits exist to increase the number of blender fuel pumps and E85 pumps. Brunkhorst said the incentive is working.
"If all goes as planned, we have 15 applications approved for blender pumps," he said. "We still have financial grants available, so any station that is interested in applying can contact the Nebraska Corn Board."
Friesen said there is also a federal tax incentive available through the end of the year to these stations that make the investment in a blender pump.
In addition to the Nebraska Corn Board, the Country Partner's blender pump was supported by Green Plains Renewable Energy and Growth Energy.
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