Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel to power City of Oakland's municipal fleet

Neste Corporation
Press release
16 October 2015 at 9 a.m (EET)

Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel to power City of Oakland's municipal fleet

The City of Oakland, California began filling up its vehicles with Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel in order to reduce the emissions of their municipal fleet. Oakland is the first major US city to convert their entire fleet to renewable diesel. The switch from petroleum diesel to renewable diesel took place in the beginning of October 2015.

Reduced emissions resulting from the use of renewable diesel will allow the City of Oakland to decrease its carbon footprint and help meet ambitious Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction targets established by the City. Oakland operates 250 diesel-powered vehicles, which include street sweepers, dump trucks, tractors, construction equipment, and mowers. The City consumes about 230,000 gallons of renewable diesel per year.

"The switch to renewable diesel supports our efforts to make Oakland a more sustainable, innovative, and vibrant City," said Mayor Libby Schaaf. "The significant reduction in emissions provided by renewable diesel will create a healthier and safer environment for all of us."

"NEXBTL renewable diesel is a solution to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and tailpipe emissions, which municipalities can greatly benefit from. NEXBTL doesn't require any change in logistics and it can be used by all diesel engines without modifications. Thus, fleets can be switched to renewable literally overnight," says Kaisa Hietala, Executive Vice President, Renewable Products, Neste Corporation. "When we are helping cities like Oakland to reach their emission reduction targets, we are doing our job well. That's also our business target," continues Hietala.

Increasing number of cities and private fleets switching to NEXBTL renewable diesel

NEXBTL renewable diesel is increasingly being used by cities and corporations around the world. Many private and public fleets worldwide including Google's gBuses and UPS' delivery trucks are relying on NEXBTL. Earlier this year, the City of San Francisco announced it will switch all of its diesel fleet to renewable diesel by the end of this year. The City of Walnut Creek also switched its diesel powered municipal fleet to renewable diesel in August 2015.

NEXBTL renewable diesel is supplied to the City of Oakland and Walnut Creek by Golden Gate Petroleum which is one of the first distributors of Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel in the USA. Golden Gate Petroleum sells NEXBTL product through NeXgen Fuel, a company dedicated to bringing next generation fuels to the market.

"As an industry leader in alternative fuel distribution, Golden Gate Petroleum is pleased to offer Neste's superior quality renewable diesel to our existing and new customers. To date, we have had no customer complaints and only positive feedback about this 100% sustainable fuel," said Pat O'Keefe, Vice President of Golden Gate Petroleum and CEO of NeXgen Fuel.

Neste Corporation

Kaisa Lipponen

Director, Corporate Communications

Further information:

Neste US: Tuija Kalpala, Marketing Manager, Neste US, Inc., tel. +1 (832) 840-4707, tuija.kalpala@neste.com

Neste in brief

Neste is a forerunner in oil refining and renewable solutions. We offer our customers cleaner traffic solutions and industrial products based on cutting-edge research. We are the leading producer of renewable diesel in the world, with an annual production volume of more than 2 million tons. We are also the world's largest producer of renewable fuels from waste and residues. Our sustainable practices have received recognition in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies. In 2014, our revenue amounted to EUR 15 billion. Neste shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Cleaner traffic, energy and life are moved forward by 5,000 professionals. Learn more at www.neste.us or www.neste.com

City of Oakland in brief

The City of Oakland is recognized as one of the leading local governments in addressing climate change challenges. The City has adopted ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals through its Energy and Climate Action Plan, which includes reducing emissions from governmental operations by 36 percent by 2020. Oakland has received more than 30 recognitions for its advances in sustainability over the past 10 years, and is a signatory to multiple climate accords at state, national, and international levels. 

Golden Gate Petroleum and NeXgen Fuel in brief

Family owned Golden Gate Petroleum was founded in 1946 and is one of the largest petroleum and biofuel distributors in the Western United States. Golden Gate first started distributing alternative fuels in 1996 and became one of the first US distributors for NEXBTL renewable diesel in 2013. For more information please visit www.ggpetroleum.com

NeXgen Fuel is a sister company to Golden Gate Petroleum, distributing Renewable Fuels to fleets and consumers. NeXgen's first fuel is NEXDIESEL, which is based on Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel and available to fleet customers and for distribution. NeXgen Fuel plans to rapidly expand across the country with both renewable diesel and gasoline substitute next generation fuels. For more information please visit www.nexgenfuel.com