Marathon Petroleum's California renewable fuels joint venture with Neste is running at half of its 48,000 b/d maximum capacity with plans to hit full rates by the end of the year, the refiner said on an earnings call today.
The company expects to continue to operate the plant at 50pc capacity in the second quarter, increase rates to 75pc in the middle of the third quarter and reach full capacity by year-end.
The refinery was operating at 46pc of its nameplate capacity early in the first quarter, Marathon said in a January earnings call.
The Martinez facility has been undergoing a conversion from a traditional petroleum refinery to a renewable fuels plant since March 2021 and was slated to reach full production of mostly renewable diesel (RD) by the end of this year.
But two November fires at the plant led to an investigation by the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).
Marathon is continuing to work with local regulators, president Maryann Mannen said on the earnings call this morning.