Safeway Inc., the Pleasanton, Calif.-based supermarket giant, plans to become the first major retailer in the nation to convert its entire fleet of delivery trucks to use of biodiesel fuels.

The company operates 1,738 stores throughout the United States and Canada, including 19 in Hawaii.

The move will be announced Friday in Dublin, Calif., where Steve Burd, Safeway president and CEO, will hold a press conference with California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi.

The store, which is the closest one to company headquarters, is powered by solar energy. Safeway has previously converted all of its more than 300 fuel stations across the country to power provided by wind-generated energy.

The company operates a fleet of more than 1,000 big rigs. Using biodiesel instead of conventional diesel fuel will reduce 75 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to Safeway officials. That's the equivalent of taking nearly 7,500 passengers vehicles off the road every year.

The company will use B20 Biodiesel in its delivery trucks, which is a combination of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

The company operates 1,738 stores throughout the United States and Canada, including 19 in Hawaii.