The Guam Solid Waste Authority (GSWA) decided to take action, and their timing was fortuitous.
On March 30 2026, Springboard Biodiesel completed the successful installation of a 600 gallon per day (1200 gallons with a double shift) biodiesel production system for the governmental group tasked with collecting and managing solid waste on the island of Guam.
The biodiesel production system installed will produce biodiesel for an estimated $2 .75 to 3.00 per gallon according to the calculations of their General Manager, Irvin Slike. That price includes all labor, power and materials. On an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, where the price of diesel climbed to $9.75/gal on April 7, that’s what most people would call, a smart move, and what a wall-street analyst might call “green arbitrage”.
The most recent energy crisis created by the war on Iran has impacted, well, everyone, with remote islands feeling the blow most heavily.
The GSWA facility in Tamuning, Guam operates it’s biodiesel production out of three high cube shipping containers set up side-by-side. Walls have been cut out to allow for easy entry and egress between the containers and power has been brought in to run the equipment. The design is based on a modular system that will grow and contract to accommodate the amount of oil made available each day.
The equipment is automated (i.e., easy to operate) and will convert a wide range of oils, including used cooking oil, into a fuel that is an alternative, or additive, to regular high-priced diesel. The fuel made from this waste stream is cheaper and it runs much cleaner than regular petroleum diesel, keeping approximately 19 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere, per gallon.
To accommodate the system, the GSWA has begun collecting used cooking oil from citizens and taking larger deliveries periodically from a group that collects oil on the island.
Springboard Biodiesel was founded in 2008 and has been making award winning conversion equipment for 18 years. With production equipment installed in all 50 states, and 41 countries, Springboard Biodiesel is powering the growing move to small-scale, low-cost biodiesel production around the world.
.svg)
