Aemetis to purchase former US Army facility to produce renewable diesel

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Aemetis announced on Wednesday that it signed an agreement to purchase a 125-acre former US Army facility in Riverbank, California to develop its Carbon Zero 1 renewable diesel biorefinery at the site.

The plant already features 710,000 square feet of existing buildings, a four-mile railroad loop and an onsite hydroelectric substation. Since being decommissioned as an army base, the site has received more than $72m of federal funding for facility upgrades and remediation.

The plant Aemetis is planning will take advantage of these existing features by using hydroelectric and other renewable power onsite to produce 90m gallons/year of sustainable aviation fuel, the company said.

After the site was converted to civilian use, the site became a known as the Riverbank Industrial Complex which housed 35 companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Aemetis will manage current tenants and utilise existing production facilities for new tenants or production facilities.

“This project has significant potential to create an industrial job center for not only Riverbank, but the whole region,” said Riverbank City Manager Sean Scully during a 14 December city council meeting where the agreement was unanimously approved.

The Carbon Zero facility will use nearby wood waste from almond and orchard farmers and covert a portion of the estimated 3bn pounds of wood waste into renewable hydrogen which can be used in both sustainable jet and renewable diesel fuel production.

“The Aemetis agreement to acquire the Riverbank Industrial Complex paves the way for a clean energy economic and environmental renaissance in the California Central Valley,” the company said.

In mid-December, Aemetis announced a $3bn, 450m gallon 10-year supply agreement with a large travel stop company to supply renewable diesel to California fuelling locations.

It also has recently signed $2.1bn of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply agreements with Delta Air Lines and with American Airlines. In addition to signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with seven other airlines for sustainable aviation fuel.