As Texas faces ongoing grid reliability challenges, extreme weather events, and rapid expansion of data centers and critical facilities, a previously overlooked vulnerability is gaining attention: diesel fuel quality. In a recent episode of The Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie interviewed Whit Runion, founder of Fuel Perfect, LLC, about how fuel degradation silently threatens backup generators across hospitals, utilities, nursing homes, data centers, and public infrastructure throughout the state.
Runion explained that while most facilities maintain generator engines rigorously, the fuel itself is often ignored despite accounting for one-third of what makes an engine function. Since a 2014 Environmental Protection Agency mandate shifted diesel to ultra-low sulfur fuel, shelf life has decreased dramatically, creating new vulnerabilities inside storage tanks that can remain undetected until a generator is needed most. "Diesel doesn't fail loudly," Runion noted. "It fails silently—through water, particulate, and microbial growth that clogs filters and shuts engines down."
The conversation highlighted fuel polishing as a solution, describing it as a process similar to dialysis for diesel that removes contaminants using filtration, centrifugal separation, and magnetic conditioning. This approach restores fuel quality without replacement, offering a cost-effective alternative to draining and replacing fuel, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars and create dangerous downtime windows with no backup power available. The full interview is available on YouTube as part of The Building Texas Show.
McKenzie connected the fuel quality issue to broader Texas infrastructure challenges, including lessons learned from Winter Storm Uri, the rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers, and increasing reliance on diesel generation to backstop grid demand. Some facilities now include dozens of generators and hundreds of thousands of gallons of stored fuel, raising both financial and operational risks. The episode revealed that even brand-new generators are not immune to fuel contamination, as tanks fabricated off-site and transported long distances often arrive with moisture and debris that can cause failures during first startup of expensive equipment.
Fuel Perfect's work spans the I-35 corridor and beyond, serving hospitals, utilities, data centers, assisted living facilities, and industrial sites. Beyond service delivery, Runion emphasized education, working with facilities teams, engineers, and risk managers to integrate fuel maintenance into annual preparedness planning. "This is about resilience," McKenzie observed. "Preparedness isn't just owning a generator—it's knowing it will work when everything else doesn't."
The interview provides a practical examination of how infrastructure risk is evolving in Texas and why fuel maintenance is becoming essential to emergency readiness, economic resilience, and public safety. As Texas continues to experience unprecedented growth in critical facilities and faces ongoing grid challenges, addressing diesel fuel quality represents a crucial component of maintaining reliable backup power systems when they are needed most.
