State and Local Leaders Visit Greenleaf Biofuels Site, Get Status Update on Biodiesel Project

State Sens. Looney and Meyer, Alderman DeCola tour site that is set to become the largest biodiesel plant in New England

NEW HAVEN—Despite the struggling economy, a major construction project to build the largest biodiesel plant in New England moves closer to completion at New Haven Terminal, promising to create jobs locally and provide a renewable energy source for the region.

The Greenleaf Biofuels facility will produce 10 million gallons a year of biodiesel, a cleaner burning renewable energy source made from used cooking oil and other types of recycled vegetable oil and animal fats.

State Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and state Sen. Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) were joined by Alderman Salvatore E. DeCola (D-18) for a tour of the construction site Thursday morning, where Greenleaf owner Gus Kellogg gave a status report on progress being made toward completion. The site already has utilities installed and a new building that is near completion and is making steady progress on installing processing equipment that will transform used vegetable oil and animal fats into biodiesel. The project is 75-80 percent completed.

When completed, the project is expected to initially create 20 full-time jobs, with additional job creation expected down the road as the facility expands. Indirect jobs created from this project have been estimated at 35 full-time equivalents.

“The best kinds of projects are the ones that not only create jobs and boost the economy, but also improve the quality of life everyone in the community,” Sen. Looney said. “This Greenleaf project fits that bill because it provides a green, renewable resource that will contribute to cleaner skies and less reliance on foreign oil. Best of all, this project will expand the local workforce by 20 jobs.”

“This project is a great example of regional cooperation between state and local agencies and the hard work of a local, homegrown business,” said Sen. Meyer, who is Senate chairman of the Environment Committee and a longtime advocate of finding alternative energy sources to reduce fossil fuels. “I am proud to have Greenleaf, a Guilford-based company, putting New Haven and the region at the forefront of biodiesel production, a growing green industry.”

“Despite a challenging economy, New Haven continues to lead the state and region in job and grand list growth. Greenleaf Biofuels is a great part of that success story, growing good local jobs as they expand their successful business,” said Mayor John DeStefano Jr.

“This project moving forward is good news for our community because it means quality jobs and a much-needed boost to our local economy,” said Democratic Majority Leader Alderman Al Paolillo. “As the biodiesel industry grows to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy sources, New Haven is poised to be a regional leader in production.”

“Greenleaf's expansion in New Haven means new jobs in our community," said Alderman DeCola. “It's a tough economy right now and we need to keep growing jobs to help middle class families make ends meet.”

“After many years of planning, we are delighted to be making substantial progress on this regionally-significant clean energy project,” Kellogg said. “We expect to create 20 full-time jobs initially at our port of New Haven location and will add more as we expand in the future. In addition, we will have created many temporary construction jobs during the past nine months.”

Compared with regular petroleum diesel, biodiesel substantially reduces tailpipe emissions from diesel engines, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Biodiesel is also nontoxic, unlike toxic petroleum, so it does not cause as much environmental damage if spilled.

Key financial partners in the Greenleaf project include Sovereign Bank, the Connecticut Community Investment Corp. and the state Department of Economic and Community Development, Advantage Capital Partners and Enhanced Capital Partners. Engineering firms on the project include Innovative Design Engineering Associates and Jatrodiesel. The builder is Branford-based Munger Construction Co.