Texas faces a growing infrastructure vulnerability as diesel fuel quality in backup generators becomes a critical reliability concern. Whit Runion of Fuel Perfect, LLC explained that while facilities typically maintain generator engines, the fuel itself is often neglected despite accounting for one-third of engine operation. Since a 2014 EPA mandate shifted diesel to ultra-low sulfur fuel, shelf life has dropped dramatically, creating new vulnerabilities inside storage tanks that can go undetected until a generator is needed most.
"Diesel doesn't fail loudly," Runion explained. "It fails silently—through water, particulate, and microbial growth that clogs filters and shuts engines down." This degradation threatens hospitals, utilities, nursing homes, data centers, and public infrastructure statewide. The issue connects 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.
Fuel polishing—a process likened to dialysis for diesel—removes contaminants using filtration, centrifugal separation, and magnetic conditioning, restoring fuel quality without replacement. This approach offers 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. The full interview is available on YouTube as part of The Building Texas Show.
In some facilities, backup systems now include dozens of generators and hundreds of thousands of gallons of stored fuel—raising both financial and operational risk. A lesser-known reality emerges: brand-new generators are not immune, as fuel tanks fabricated off-site and transported across long distances often arrive contaminated with moisture and debris, sometimes causing failures on first startup of expensive new 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 emphasizes education—working with facilities teams, engineers, and risk managers to integrate fuel maintenance into annual preparedness planning. "This is about resilience," host Justin McKenzie noted. "Preparedness isn't just owning a generator—it's knowing it will work when everything else doesn't."
The implications for Texas businesses and critical infrastructure are significant. As the state continues to experience grid reliability challenges and extreme weather events, ensuring backup power systems function properly becomes essential for economic resilience and public safety. The episode offers a practical look at how infrastructure risk is evolving in Texas and why fuel maintenance is becoming a core part of emergency readiness. For facilities managers and business owners across Texas, this represents both a warning and an opportunity to address a vulnerability before it leads to catastrophic failure during critical moments.
