Kinder Morgan brings US California renewable diesel hub projects online

HOUSTON (ICIS)–US energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan has begun full commercial operations of its two California renewable diesel hub projects, which will allow the fuel to be transported by pipeline to inland destinations for delivery to the market.

Renewable diesel is an alternative fuel that allows trucks, trains and any equipment that uses diesel fuel to operate with significantly lower life-cycle emissions.

The Nnorthern California hub, with throughput of 21,000 bbl/day, can transport renewable diesel from the San Francisco Bay area to Sacramento, San Jose and Fresno.

The southern California hub, with throughput of 20,000 bbl/day, can send the fuel from the Los Angeles refinery basin to San Diego and the Inland Empire – an urban metropolitan area east of Los Angeles County centered around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside.

It has been delivering renewable diesel to San Diego since the beginning of February 2023.

The hub connects marine supplies of renewable diesel coming into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the Los Angeles market via the truck rack at SFPP’s Carson Terminal and to Kinder Morgan’s SFPP pipeline system for delivery to the Inland Empire and San Diego areas.

“These projects present a significant opportunity to participate in the transition to lower emissions energy sources of the future while continuing to provide fuels still in demand today,” Dax Sanders, Kinder Morgan president of products pipelines, said. “We are confident that the best way to serve markets during this energy evolution is through an all-of-the-above energy mix. Pipelines continue to be the safest and most cost-efficient mode of long-haul transportation for liquid fuels.”