Iowa biodiesel comeback continues as Chevron announces restart of Ralston plant
The Iowa Biodiesel Board applauded the Nov. 12 announcement from Chevron U.S.A. Inc. that it will restart its biodiesel plant in Ralston, Iowa.
The restart is supported by a commercial and operational agreement with farmer-owned Landus Cooperative.
Chevron idled the Ralston plant in 2024 after a market downturn.
The company says the restart will happen in stages, and that the plant can make nearly 42 million gallons of biodiesel a year.
“Chevron’s announcement that it will restart its biodiesel plant in Ralston is very good news for Iowa,” said Doug Struyk, IBB’s executive director. “With Ralston back online, Iowa returns to nine biodiesel plants. That’s encouraging for the farmers who grow our feedstock, the workers who run these facilities and the communities that depend on them. Iowa’s biodiesel plants are churning again, and it’s wonderful to see Ralston will soon join the chorus.”
Struyk added that the good news shows how smart energy policy at the federal and state level can set the stage for American manufacturing and domestic energy production.
“When policymakers provide stable, growth-oriented support for biodiesel, companies invest, plants reopen and rural economies grow,” he said. “As Iowa lawmakers, both returning and newly elected, consider the future of the state’s biodiesel producer tax credit, Ralston is a clear example of what that support makes possible.”
According to a study by Decision Innovation Solutions, Iowa biodiesel production in 2025 contributed 1,198 jobs, $92 million in labor income, $67.2 million in value added and nearly $1.5 billion in output to the Iowa economy after accounting for indirect and induced effects—even during a downturn.
