Grön Fuels selects Yokogawa as preferred supplier for Louisiana renewable diesel, SAF project

Yokogawa Electric Corp. subsidiary Yokogawa Corporation of America announced Sept. 7 that it has been selected by Grön Fuels LLC as the preferred supplier of automation technology, equipment and services for its large renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility to be constructed at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge in Louisiana.

A subsidiary of Fidelis New Energy LLC, Grön Fuels will develop and operate a 65,000-barrel-per-day (approximately 930 mgy) SAF and renewable diesel GigaSystem™ plant serving global offtake customers in need of low-carbon transportation fuels.

The GigaSystem is designed to use all traditional renewable feedstocks, including fats, oils and greases, as well as emerging feedstocks such as algae oil and cover crops.

The Grön Fuels GigaSystem will also include biogenic carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) and carbon negative power (CNP) facilities that will further reduce the carbon intensity of the SAF and renewable diesel it produces from a variety of feedstocks. The integrated use of proven technologies will enable carbon negative renewable fuel production.

The plant is expected to start production in 2025.

Yokogawa Group company KBC is leveraging its in-depth knowledge of traditional refining operations to collaborate with Fidelis’ project-management office on work-processes design and workforce development for the Grön Fuels GigaSystem.

In July, Fidelis announced an agreement with the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) provider for the project and, after the final investment decision by Grön Fuels, Yokogawa Corporation of America and KBC will deliver a broad scope of automation, information solutions, and services to support people at all levels of the Grön Fuels GigaSystem—from operations and maintenance personnel through to senior management.

By utilizing a comprehensive suite of technologies that includes extensive use of digital twins, the companies will enable optimization with unprecedented levels of safety, productivity and operational performance.

Support will be provided via Yokogawa’s technology center in Baton Rouge, which was opened this July, close to the project site.

“Our Grön Fuels GigaSystem in the state of Louisiana, made up of the Grön Fuels, BECCS and CNP facilities, uses only proven technologies from leading global companies to provide the lowest carbon-intensity SAF and renewable diesel from all traditional and emerging feedstocks,” said Bengt Jarlsjo, president and chief operating officer of Fidelis. “Selecting a collaboration partner with the experience and innovation of Yokogawa was vital to meeting the goals of RACER™, our proprietary ESG-centric development, design, engineering and operating framework.”

Kevin McMillen, president and CEO of Yokogawa Corporation of America, added, “The Grön Fuels GigaSystem is perfectly aligned with Yokogawa’s sustainability goals and business direction. We look forward to co-innovating with their team to optimize all aspects of this project, from instrumentation through to enterprise systems, and all IT/OT requirements in between.”