EIA: U.S. Renewable Diesel Capacity Could More than Double by 2025

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In a recent "Today in Energy" article, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) stated that if all proposed renewable diesel projects in the U.S. were to be constructed, the U.S. could potentially double its renewable diesel production capacity, moving from production of 2.6 billion gallons per year at the end of 2022 to a possible 5.9 billion gallons per year by the end of 2025. However, some of these projects will inevitably be cancelled or delayed, so the country probably will not see such a dramatic production uptick. Industrial Info is tracking more than $12 billion worth of active renewable diesel projects in the U.S.

The top three U.S. refiners by capacity, Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) (Findlay, Ohio), Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) (San Antonio, Texas) and Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) (Houston, Texas), have jumped on the renewable diesel bandwagon and have completed or are at work on projects at idled traditional refineries or brownfield sites.

Marathon is starting up Phase I of a renewable diesel project at its Martinez Refinery in California, with subsequent phases set for completion later this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Alternative Fuels Project Database can click here for a list of related projects. For more information, see February 1, 2023, article - Marathon Petroleum Outlines $1.3 Billion Capital Spending for 2023. Phillips 66 is at work on its Rodeo Renewed project in the San Francisco, California, area, which will produce 680 million gallons per year of renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel upon completion. Subscribers can click here for the project report. In the fourth quarter of last year, Valero completed its DGD-3 renewable diesel unit at a brownfield site in Port Arthur, Texas, bringing Valero joint venture Diamond Green Diesel's total annual production capacity to approximately 1.2 billion gallons of renewable diesel and 50 million gallons of renewable naphtha. For more information, see January 27, 2023, article - Valero's Refining Segment Shines on High Margins.

But aside from the refining majors, several smaller, independent U.S. companies are getting in on the action as well, with the Southwest and West Coast market regions leading the way. While many of these use used cooking oils, rendered fats and soybean oil as feedstocks, concern is mounting about feedstock supplies, and alternative feedstocks are creeping into the mix. For additional information, see May 16, 2022, article - As Green-Spectrum Diesel Refining Grows, Where Will the Acreage Come From?

Among the non-majors constructing renewable diesel plants is Global Clean Energy Holdings Incorporated (Torrance, California), which is underway with construction of a renewable diesel plant at an idled refinery previously owned by Delek US (Brentwood, Tennessee) in Bakersfield, California. In addition to rendered fats and cooking oils, the facility also will be able to use Camelina sativa, a nonfood oilseed crop that can be grown on fallow land and in rotation with wheat and other crops. Construction kicked off in 2020, but experienced some delays along the way. The facility now is on track to be completed later this year and will be able to produce 15,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) of renewable diesel upon completion. Subscribers can click here for the full report.

Other biodiesel plants that plan to use nonfood feedstock include Red Rocks Biofuels LLC's (Fort Collins, Colorado) plant under construction in Lakeview, Oregon. The facility will use a Fischer-Tropsch gasification system to turn 166,000 tons per year of forestry biomass into 16 million gallons per year of transportation fuels, including renewable diesel. According to the company's website, the plant will be the first in the world capable of using woody waste biomass as feedstock to make renewable diesel and jet fuel. The project is set to be completed next year. For more details, click here.

As Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 have shown, traditional refineries can be repurposed for renewable fuels production. PBF Energy Company LLC (Parsippany, New Jersey) is getting in on this action at a refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, by converting a hydrocracker that has been idled since 2010 to produce 20,000 BBL/d of renewable diesel using Honeywell UOP's (Des Plaines, Illinois) Ecofining Technology. The project is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Refining Project Database can click here for more information.

Renewable diesel also is finding its way into the U.S. Heartland and its many ethanol plants. Heartwell Renewables (Hastings, Nebraska) is underway with a grassroot renewable diesel production facility in the Hastings area. The facility will process vegetable oils and tallow into 80 million gallons per year of renewable diesel upon completion, which is expected in early 2025. Subscribers can learn more by clicking here.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to access all of the reports for projects discussed in this article and click here for the related 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).