Producer of biodiesel and renewable diesel from renewable raw materials with nine active biorefineries in the USA and Europe
Chevron Renewable Energy Group
Ames, IA (US) · Amsterdam (NL) · Borken-Burlo (DE) · Emden (DE) · Oeding (DE) · Albert Lea, MN · Danville, IL · Geismar, LA · Grays Harbor, WA · Mason City, IA · Newton, IA · Seneca, ILNew on Amplifa
About Chevron Renewable Energy Group
Chevron Renewable Energy Group (formerly Renewable Energy Group, Inc.) is an international producer of biodiesel and renewable diesel from renewable raw materials. The company operates nine active biorefineries in the USA and Europe; in 2023, 408 million gallons of biomass-based diesel were produced, corresponding to a CO2 reduction of 3.8 million tons. Processes include the transesterification of oils and fats to biodiesel (FAME) as well as hydrotreating to renewable diesel according to ASTM D975. Feedstocks used include more than 15 types, including Used Cooking Oil, Distillers Corn Oil, animal fats, soybean and canola oil, and camelina; by-products are glycerin and potassium sulfate. The German plants in Emden and Oeding are ISCC/RED certified, meet EN 14214, use 100 % residual materials (predominantly used cooking oil) and have a combined capacity of 185 kilotons per year. Customers include transport and logistics, rail, marine, mining, agriculture, construction, municipal fleets, power generation and fuel distributors.
- Site
- Ames, IA, USA
- Processes
- Biodiesel production (processing of feedstocks into biodiesel/FAME), Renewable diesel production (hydrotreating, hydrotreater), Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as blendstock, Fuel blending (customized fuel blending, biodiesel blends, renewable diesel/biodiesel blend), Fuel testing as a value-added service, Fuel Delivery / Distribution (mobile fueling/wet-hosing 10 to more than 200 units), Oil purification, filtration and reclamation services, GHG Emissions Reporting / emissions calculator services
- Materials
- Used Cooking Oil (UCO), Distillers Corn Oil (DCO), Rendered Animal Fat, Soybean Oil, Canola Oil, Camelina, Algae, Biodiesel (FAME)
- Certificates
- ISCC/RED, EN 14214 (FAME product specification), EN 14214, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1996
- Industries
- Transport/Logistics (trucks), Rail, Marine, Mining, Agriculture, Aviation
- 01
Global feedstock purchasing (more than 100 suppliers)
- 02
Biorefinery upgrading (transesterification/hydrotreating)
- 03
Quality inspection in in-house laboratory
- 04
Blending (customized blends)
- 05
Terminal and logistics network
- 06
Fuel delivery and full-service services
- 07
GHG emissions reports
Feedstocks & Processes
Used Cooking Oil
Primary feedstock of the German plants, enabling particularly high greenhouse gas reduction.
Distillers Corn Oil
By-product stream from ethanol production used as a feedstock for biomass-based diesel.
Rendered Animal Fat
Animal fat as a feedstock in the feedstock-flexible process.
Soybean Oil
Vegetable oil, historically the basis of the first production in Ralston.
Canola Oil
Rapeseed oil as a renewable feedstock.
Camelina
Renewable feedstock, strengthened by the acquisition of Chacraservicios in 2023.
Biodiesel (FAME, EN 14214)
Main product from the transesterification of renewable oils and fats.
Renewable Diesel
Drop-in fuel produced by hydrotreating in accordance with the diesel standard ASTM D975.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Blendstock)
Lower-carbon blendstock for kerosene.
Glycerin & Potassium Sulfate
Valuable by-products of biodiesel production.
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biodiesel production (processing of feedstocks into biodiesel/FAME)Other | – | – | – | – | used cooking oil, distillers corn oil, rendered animal fat, soybean oil, canola oil, camelina |
| Renewable diesel production (hydrotreating, hydrotreater)Other | – | – | – | – | renewable oils and fats, biomass feedstocks |
| Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as blendstockOther | – | – | – | – | renewable oils and fats |
| Fuel blending (customized fuel blending, biodiesel blends, renewable diesel/biodiesel blend)Other | – | – | – | – | Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel |
| Fuel testing as a value-added serviceTesting | – | – | – | – | Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, Diesel |
| Fuel Delivery / Distribution (mobile fueling/wet-hosing 10 to more than 200 units)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Diesel, Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, Gasoline, DEF, Heating oil, Lubricants |
| Oil purification, filtration and reclamation servicesOther | – | – | – | – | Lubricants, Fuel |
| GHG Emissions Reporting / emissions calculator servicesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Biorefinery Design and Build Expertise (design, construction and upgrade of biorefineries)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biorefinery (biodiesel/renewable diesel production plant) | – | 9 active | – | – | Albert Lea, MN; Danville, IL; Emden, Germany; Geismar, LA; Grays Harbor, WA; |
| Biodiesel plants (Germany) | – | 2 | combined production capacity 185 kilotons | – | Emden and Oeding, Germany |
| Renewable diesel production facility | – | 1 | – | – | Geismar, LA |
| Hydrotreater pilot plant | – | 1 | – | 2021 | Iowa State University (partner) |
| Portable filtration equipment units | – | – | – | – | Southern California (Amber Industrial Services) |
| Fuel system technology Vector System (B100, partner product Optimus) | Optimus Technologies Vector System™ | – | – | – | – |
| Fuel terminals | – | – | – | – | USA (coast to coast) |
| Cardlock sites / distribution centers | – | 6 distribu | – | – | Southern California (Dion & Sons) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
The German plants are ISCC/RED certified and meet EN 14214 for FAME; in the USA, quality is ensured according to and partly beyond the ASTM standards. An in-house laboratory and a technical services team support quality assurance, including fuel testing as a value-added service.
| Evidence | Emden | Oeding |
|---|---|---|
| ISCC/RED | ||
| EN 14214 | ||
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1995
First investment to enable biodiesel production
- 1996
First methyl ester plant in Ralston, Iowa; first batch of biodiesel
- 2002
West Central opens continuous biodiesel processing plant in Ralston
- 2003
West Central launches Renewable Energy Group, LLC
- 2006
Formation of Renewable Energy Group, Inc.; 100 million USD private equity
- 2010
Acquisition of biorefineries in Danville, Seneca, Newton, Clovis as well as Tellurian Biodiesel and American BDF
- 2012
IPO on the NASDAQ; 1 billion USD in annual revenue for the first time
- 2014
One billionth gallon of biomass-based diesel sold; majority stake in Petrotec AG; acquisition of the Geismar renewable diesel plant
- 2015
Acquisition of the Grays Harbor, WA biorefinery
- 2016
2 billion USD in annual revenue for the first time; acquisition of the DeForest, WI biorefinery
- 2017
Full takeover of Petrotec AG
- 2018
Launch of Renewable Diesel/Biodiesel Blend
- 2019
Cynthia (CJ) Warner becomes President & CEO; first ESG report
- 2021
Acquisition of Dion & Sons / Amber Resources; partnerships with Booster, GoodFuels and Iowa State University
- 2022
Chevron completes the acquisition of Renewable Energy Group; launch of EnDura Fuels; start of construction of the Emden pretreatment expansion
- 2023
408 million gallons produced; 3.8 million tons of CO2 reduction; acquisition of Chacraservicios (camelina)