Calumet to expand Montana Renewables in 2025

Market: Biofuels, Hydrogen, Oil products
24/10/23

Specialty refiner Calumet plans to add 3,000 b/d of capacity to its Montana Renewables refinery in 2025, but a plan to maximize sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production is pending a final investment decision.

The company's board has approved a plan to expand capacity to 18,000 b/d at its Great Falls, Montana, facility from the name plate capacity of 15,000 b/d, Calumet told Argus.

Whether the incremental 3,000 b/d of capacity will produce SAF is pending a final investment decision. Calumet has been assessing the engineering requirements for the project since at least August, according to a second quarter earnings call.

The Great Falls plant is undergoing repairs on the steam recovery system in its renewable hydrogen plant following a leak in August and will bring forward a turnaround originally planned for early 2024 to November of this year.

The hydrogen plant repair is expected to be complete in November and the refinery will run at reduced throughputs until the turnaround begins, Calumet said in an operational update this month. Production is expected to return to over 12,000 b/d in December when the turnaround is complete.

The company's Shreveport, Louisiana, facility underwent maintenance in the third quarter following a weather-related disruption in the second quarter. The downtime lowered lube oil and wax sales by 300,000 bl in the third quarter and the plant is now processing at least 45,000 b/d of feedstock.

By Nathan Risser

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