US Navy: First biofuel-powered war fleet in service from next week

(To Franco Iacch)

15/01/16

A historic turning point for the United States Navy with the first "Great Green Fleet" set to sail from San Diego next week. Carrier Strike Group 3, a battle group of the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS John C. Stennis, will use alternative fuel. That's what they're reporting from the US Navy.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the Great Green Fleet program seven years ago. The Carrier Strike Group 3, will use alternative energy as part of its normally planned operations. The US Navy purchased 78 million gallons of the third generation biofuel Digest to feed his "Great Green Fleet", at the cost of two dollars a gallon.

Shortly after becoming secretary in the 2009, Mabus announced the goal of using alternative fuel sources for half of the fleet within the 2020. The diversification of fuel sources would have protected the Navy from oil supply and the price crisis.

They write from the US Navy "Strategically we are at risk because much of the fuel we use comes from unstable regions. We would never buy weapon systems from the same countries that sell us oil, because they don't necessarily have our best interests at heart." .

President Barack Obama has helped bring forward the goal of limiting dependence on fossil fuels with his national 2011 energy strategy called "Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future". His goal was to reduce oil imports by one third by 2025. The policy also included an increased use of advanced biofuels.

In 2012, the Navy tested alternative fuel on approximately 40 ships, six submarines and 200 aircraft that participated in the "Rim of the Pacific" in Hawaii. The fleet was refueled with one million gallons of "hydro-treated" diesel, a blend of traditional petroleum-based fuel and biofuels made from used cooking oils and algae.

Read also: