Mothballed Wyoming refinery slated for new life as renewables plant

Slate Energy Marketing LLC subsidiary Slate Refining LLC has entered an agreement with Starwood Energy Group Global Inc. to convert a 3,800-b/d mothballed refinery in Douglas, Wyo., in the heart of the Powder River basin, into a renewable fuels production plant.

The refinery, once reconfigured, will be able to produce a mix of more than 100 million gal/year of renewable fuels, including renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and arctic diesel for both US and Canadian markets, Starwood Energy said.

Production of high-grade, low-carbon fuels from the repurposed refinery comes as part of commitments by Starwood Energy and Slate to deliver viable renewable fuel options to conform with increased demand from consumers for industry efforts to accelerate decarbonization initiatives to help achieve carbon neutrality.

While neither Starwood Energy nor Slate indicated a timeframe for when the repurposed refinery might enter service, Slate said the project to convert the former conventional-crude processing plant into a renewables production site is now under way, according to the operator’s website.

Details regarding the types of renewable feedstocks to be processed at the converted refinery have yet to be released.

Purchased by Slate in 2019 and since operated as terminal, the Douglas refinery—formerly owned by Antelope Refining LLC—officially ceased crude oil processing activities in early 2015 before its formal shutdown in December 2016, according to the US Energy Information Administration.