Front-end engineering design begins on Louisiana Green Fuels project

Strategic Biofuels announced March 14 that its Louisiana Green Fuels project has finished the preliminary engineering phase (FEL-2) on its wood-to-diesel biorefinery scaled at 34 million gallons a year and has moved into the front-end engineering design (FEED) or FEL-3 phase of engineering.

“The transition to FEED is a major achievement for Strategic Biofuels and the industry, as many projects get stuck at the FEL-2 stage and are not able to advance further,” said Paul Schubert, CEO of Strategic Biofuels. “We’ve demonstrated that further investment is warranted and raised the funds that allow us to advance the project to the next phase. This FEED stage will progress the project to the point where it can be fully financed in order to begin construction in early 2023. We are thankful for the ongoing support from the state of Louisiana and our many partners that have been major contributors to advancing this project into the next development stage.”

Strategic Biofuels selected Hatch as its engineering partner and Koch Project Solutions as the project management and EPC partner at the project’s inception. Through collaborative teamwork, LGF has benefited from the expertise both partners bring to the project.

“At Hatch we believe in innovating in all we do,” said Robert Francki, global managing director for energy at Hatch. “The rapid progress of the Louisiana Green Fuels project is a testament to the innovative business, technical, and project development approach that has been a hallmark of this project from its inception. It goes to show that doing our collective homework and doing it right, is a tremendous advantage in the pursuit of our common goal to urgently mitigate the effects of climate change.”

During the FEL-2 phase, the specific set of process operating conditions and equipment necessary to achieve the level of reliability, efficiency, and safety required was established, setting the direction for the rest of the project. The design advancement and optimization during the phase resulted in a further 10 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of the renewable diesel and naphtha than previously estimated. This has resulted in a carbon intensity of minus 278, which is a 378 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to fossil fuel production, making it the lowest carbon footprint liquid fuel in the world, according to Strategic Biofuels.

“The consistent progress throughout the previous stages of the Louisiana Green Fuels project is a testament to the collaborative environment created by Strategic Biofuels,” said Paul Switzer, president of Koch Project Solutions. “Koch is fortunate to be part of such a capable group of partners, all focused on bringing innovative solutions to the market and proving the viability of renewable synthetic diesel fuel.”

Both Hatch and Koch Project Solutions will continue to play crucial roles during FEED and beyond through construction, commissioning, and start-up of the plant.