California Leads U.S. in Alternative Fuels Projects Under Construction

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--It may come as no surprise that California, which has some of the most stringent emissions standards and loftiest renewable energy goals in the U.S., leads the country in both the number and value of alternative fuels projects presently under construction. Of the more than $7.4 billion in alternative fuels projects under construction in the U.S., California accounts for more than $4 billion worth.

The high standing of California when it comes to the value of projects comes from several large projects valued between $550 million and $940 million. Two of these projects are to convert traditional petroleum refineries to use renewable feedstocks such as cooking fats and soybean oil to produce renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and more.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) (Findlay, Ohio) is converting its Martinez Refinery in the San Francisco Bay area to produce renewable diesel. Phase I construction has been completed, and the refinery can now produce 260,000 gallons per year of renewable diesel. Phase II construction activities are on schedule, with the facility expected to be capable of producing 730 million gallons per year by the end of 2023, making it one of the world's largest renewable diesel refineries. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Alternative Fuels Project Database can click here for related reports.

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) (Houston, Texas) is underway with a similar project at its Rodeo Refinery, also in the San Francisco Bay area. The Rodeo Renewed project will convert the refinery to produce 680 million gallons per year of renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel from used cooking fats, greases and soybean oil. Construction is expected to be completed next year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

The highest-value alternative fuels project in the state also is occurring in the San Francisco area. The City of San Francisco is underway with construction of a new biosolids digester and combined heat and power unit to help meet its green goals. The project is being constructed on a 47-acre site in the city, where existing buildings have been demolished, and new buildings totaling 200,000 square feet are being constructed that will facilitate the processing of 280,000 pounds per day of biosolids into 2 million cubic feet per day of biogas and 5 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity. Construction kicked off in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2026. Subscribers can click here for more information.

In Paramount, California, in the Greater Los Angeles area, World Energy LLC (Boston, Massachusetts) is expanding its production of sustainable aviation fuel by adding a new process unit to increase total production capacity to 340 million gallons per year. The project kicked off earlier this year and is expected to take about three years to complete. Subscribers can click here for the full report.

In Williams, California, about 60 miles northwest of Sacramento, Aymium Incorporated is underway with construction of a biocarbon pellet plant at a brownfield site that will process biomass feedstock such as orchard trimmings and forest debris into up to 250,000 tons per year of biocarbon pellets to replace coal as fuel source. The facility will use self-generated biogas to energize the process and could provide up to 10 megawatts of power to the grid. The project entails constructing 10,000 square feet of new building space and modifying 161,000 square feet of existing structure. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can click here for more details.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Alternative Fuels Database can click here to see reports for all projects discussed in this article and click here for the plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).