Chevron will restart its biodiesel plant in Ralston, Iowa, after more than two years of inactivity, following a commercial and operational agreement with agricultural cooperative Landus. The company announced the decision on November 12, citing improved biodiesel market conditions and the availability of a reliable feedstock supply, INSPENET reported.
The Ralston facility has an annual biodiesel production capacity of around 42 million gallons. It can produce enough fuel to supply more than 275,000 heavy-duty trucks. The plant, which began operations in 1996, was the first biodiesel facility of its kind in Iowa.
Chevron suspended operations at the plant in March 2024 due to a slowdown in the biodiesel market, resulting in the loss of around 24 jobs. The company also idled its Madison, Wisconsin, facility at the time. Together, the two plants had an annual production capacity of 50 million gallons.
The agreement with Landus is expected to provide the Ralston plant with access to a steady supply of soybean-based feedstock. Landus operates a neighbouring soybean processing facility that crushes more than 28 million bushels annually and is described by the cooperative as the largest mechanical soybean crushing facility in the US.
Landus president and CEO Eric Heismeyer said the agreement would expand market access for the cooperative’s farmer-members and strengthen Iowa’s position in agriculture and renewable fuels.
The biodiesel plant will resume operations in phases, involving recruitment, maintenance, safety checks and operational preparations before production begins. Chevron expects the restart to generate employment and business opportunities in the region, although the timeline and scale of recruitment are yet to be determined.
Andy Walz, president of Chevron’s Downstream, Midstream and Chemicals divisions, said the decision was part of the company’s efforts to strengthen fuel supplies amid continuing pressures in global energy markets.
