GCEH acquires the Alon Bakersfield Refinery to convert it into a renewable diesel biorefinery

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (GCEH) has announced the acquisition of the Alon Bakersfield refinery. GCEH will immediately commence refurbishing the refinery to produce renewable diesel from organic feedstocks such as vegetable oils.
Press release: “Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. announces the acquisition of Bakersfield Refinery”, 7/5/2020.

Figure 1. GCEH acquires the Alon Bakersfield Refinery to convert it into a renewable diesel biorefinery

GCHE, through a subsidiary, has purchased Alon Bakersfield Properties, Inc., subsidiary of Delek US Holdings, Inc. and the owner of the Alon Bakersfield Refinery. The total cash consideration paid to Delek US Holdings for the purchase was 40 M$. The facility is strategically located within a large regional demand center and only a short distance from the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay Area. The fuels produced will reduce the overall GHG emissions and other harmful local pollutants in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere in California.

Location
Bakersfield (California).
Revamping of an existing oil refinery that produced diesel from crude oil. The refinery already has a significant portion of the necessary equipment in place for the production of renewable diesel.
Feedstocks
Oil from GCEH’s proprietary fallow land crop varieties of camelina. Traditionally, grown in rotation with wheat, camelina is cultivated as an alternative to fallow so as not to displace or compete with food crops.
Other feedstocks: cooking oil, soybean oil and distillers’ corn oil.
Products
Renewable diesel.
Contractor
The local EPC contractor ARB, Inc. (Primoris Services Corp subsidiary).
Timeline
Revamping: 18 to 20 months.
Start-up: late 2021.

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