Marathon Petroleum Reportedly Considering Entry Into E15 Market

FINDLAY, Ohio — Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) could be adding E15 to its gas stations in Minnesota.

According to Bloomberg, E15 would help Marathon compete with other retailers who already offer the higher blend at their pumps. It would also curry favor with political leaders in Minnesota. The state is the fourth-biggest U.S. producer of corn-derived ethanol.

The news outlet cited people familiar with the matter.

Marathon's possible entrance into E15 sales comes as President Donald Trump said he plans to lift restrictions on E15, paving the way for year-round sales. Currently, retailers throughout most of the U.S. are prohibited from offering E15 to drivers during the summer months, according to Growth Energy.

Today, leading independent retailers offering the alternative fuel include Casey's General Stores, Kwik Trip, Sheetz, Kum & Go, Minnoco, RaceTrac, Thorntons, Protec Fuels, QuikTrip, Family Express, Holiday, Murphy USA, Holiday, Rutter’s, and Cenex.

More than 1,600 stations across 30 states include E15 at the pump. Minnesota leads the U.S. in E15 stations, according to Growth Energy.

E15 is a fuel that contains 15-percent ethanol and works well for any car 2001 and newer. Today, American drivers have surpassed 5 billion miles on it.

Moving forward with E15 sales would make Marathon the largest refining company to offer the fuel, Bloomberg reported.  

"We don't have any information to provide on this matter at this time," Jamal Kheiry, a spokesman for Marathon, said in an emailed statement in response to the news outlet's questions about the E15 plans.

Findlay-based MPC is a leading integrated downstream energy company headquartered. The company, which acquired Andeavor on Oct. 1, operates the nation's largest refining system with more than 3 million barrels per day of crude oil capacity across 16 refineries. MPC's marketing system includes approximately 7,800 branded locations across the U.S., including approximately 5,600 Marathon-brand retail outlets. 

Speedway LLC, an MPC subsidiary, owns and operates approximately 4,000 retail convenience stores across the U.S.

MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in two midstream companies, MPLX LP and Andeavor Logistics LP, which own and operate gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure.