DGD & Burns & McDonnell Reach Construction Milestone for Port Arthur Renewable Diesel Facility

Diamond Green Diesel LLC (DGD), a joint venture between Valero and Darling Ingredients Inc., contracted with Burns & McDonnell to provide engineering and construction services for a grassroots renewable diesel plant, the third facility for DGD. The project has reached a major construction milestone of over 1 million field construction hours worked. The facility is being built at Valero’s 395,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Port Arthur, Texas.

Among other services, Burns & McDonnell is coordinating the ISBL and OSBL scopes of work for the project, which will ultimately become the largest renewable diesel train in the U.S. The integrated team is delivering a wide scope of engineer-procure-construct (EPC) services including core renewable diesel processing units, feedstock and product tankage and piping, support utility infrastructure, an amine regeneration and a sour water stripper unit, and electrical infrastructure scopes.

“We are excited to work with Burns & McDonnell to meet the growing market demand for renewable fuels,” says John Roach, senior vice president in charge of strategic development execution at Valero.

The Port Arthur facility, located about 90 miles east of Houston along the Gulf Coast, aims to expand DGD’s renewable diesel production capabilities. The project matches the company’s overarching plan of providing low-carbon transportation fuels to meet low-carbon policies and goals that continue to expand around the world.

“We are incredibly excited to be DGD’s trusted partner for the Port Arthur facility as part of contributing to a low-carbon emissions future,” says Ed Anello, vice president at Burns & McDonnell. “Our integrated team is aggressively helping DGD achieve its renewable fuel goals as they support broader alternative energy objectives.”

DGD Port Arthur’s capacity is expected to produce 470 million gallons per year of renewable diesel upon project completion.

“Our integrated EPC team is honored to be entrusted by Valero to provide the optimal solutions needed to get the facility completed on schedule,” says Bob Reymond, president of the Oil, Gas & Chemical Group at Burns & McDonnell. “The Port Arthur DGD renewable diesel facility will provide enormous value for its owners and, once completed, will be the largest renewable diesel train in the country, making it an important component in the achievement of the United States’ sustainability goals.”