US-based energy company Phillips 66 has unveiled plans to transform its San Francisco Refinery located in Rodeo, California, into a renewable fuels plant.
Upon completion of the conversion, the Phillips 66 Rodeo Renewed project will not make fuels from crude oil, but instead will produce fuels from used cooking oil, fat, grease and soybean oil.
The work on the project will involve the construction of pre-treatment units and repurposing of the existing hydrocracking units to enable the production of renewable fuels.
The flexible logistics infrastructure of the refinery will be used to bring in the cooking oil, fats, greases and soybean oils from global sources and supply renewable fuels to the California market.
Phillips 66 expects that the reconfigured facility will produce 680 million gallons of renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and sustainable jet fuel per year.
When combined with the production output from an existing project in development, the facility will produce more than 800 million gallons of renewable fuels a year.
Phillips 66 expects renewable fuels production at the facility to begin in early 2024
Phillips 66 chairman and CEO Greg Garland said: “Phillips 66 is taking a significant step with Rodeo Renewed to support demand for renewable fuels and help California meet its low carbon objectives.
“We believe the world will require a mix of fuels to meet the growing need for affordable energy, and the renewable fuels from Rodeo Renewed will be an important part of that mix.”
The company said that the project requires approval from Contra Costa County officials and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Once approved, the production of renewable fuels at the reconfigured facility is expected to commence in early 2024.
Furthermore, the US-based firm has announced plans to close the Rodeo Carbon Plant and Santa Maria refining facility located in Arroyo Grande, California in 2023 as that the associated crude oil pipelines to the facilities will be taken out of service in phases starting that year.
Earlier this year, Phillips 66 and Trafigura Group have formed a joint venture to develop an offshore deepwater port project in Texas.
