Renewable Energy Group completes $32 million Ralston biodiesel expansion

The company says that it has more than doubled capacity at its flagship plant.

May 10, Renewable Energy Group (REG) announced the completion of upgrades to its Ralston, Iowa biorefinery, increasing the production capacity from twelve million gallons (54.5 million litres) to thirty million gallons (136 million litres) per year.  REG invested $32 million (€26.8 million) to expand the production capacity and upgrade logistics and storage capabilities.

“REG is positioned for long-term growth along with the entire biodiesel industry. We are proud of the project’s completion as it shows our ability to deliver more high quality products to meet market demand,” said Randy Howard, CEO.

REG broke ground on the expansion in November of 2016 with an initial $24 million (€20 million) commitment. As the project developed, REG invested $8 million for additional improvements. First Midwest Bank provided $20 million to partially finance the expansion.

In total, the project included 150,000 man hours and onsite peak manpower was up to 160 workers.

“The Ralston plant was first built in 2002, as we moved forward with the expansion, we also took the time to improve key safety items including a fire protection system and a storm shelter,” said Derek Winkel, executive director of manufacturing operations. “Our new load out system enhances our ability to efficiently load and unload products for our transportation suppliers and customers.”

REG Ralston is one of the company’s thirteen biomass-based diesel refineries, which have a combined effective production capacity of 565 million gallons (2.5 billion litres) per year.