Fire injures 2 employees at Chevron REG renewable diesel plant in Geismar, Louisiana

Chevron Renewable Energy Group experienced a fire at its Geismar, Louisiana, renewable diesel production facility on the morning of Sept. 19.

According to Chevron REG, which provided a company statement about the incident to Biobased Diesel Daily®, all employees have been accounted for.

Two employees are receiving treatment for burns.

The fire has been extinguished with the support of local resources, according to Chevron REG.

The facility has been safely shut down, the company said.

Before Chevron acquired REG in 2022, REG broke ground in 2021 on a major expansion project at the facility.

The three-year project with a price tag of approximately $1 billion is nearly quadrupling renewable diesel production capacity on site from 90 million gallons per year (mgy) to 340 mgy.  

The expanded facility was expected to begin full production this year.

“We are extremely grateful to the local responders for their immediate response,” Chevron REG said in a statement provided to Biobased Diesel Daily®.

“We continue to learn more information and will be conducting a thorough review to understand the cause of the fire,” the company said.