Biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) revealed plans this week to expand the capacity of its biorefinery in Geismar, LA from 250 million gal/yr to 340 million gal/yr.

“REG Geismar has proven to be a tremendous asset for our company and is a natural site for increasing production of our lower carbon renewable diesel,” Cynthia (CJ) Warner, president and chief executive officer of REG, said in a company release. “The state of Louisiana and Ascension Parish have been great partners who encouraged us every step along the way as we developed our expansion plan. They truly understand the broad economic and environmental benefits that renewable fuels provide, and we look forward to our continued partnership with them as we undertake this project.”

The company decided to invest $825 million to expand the Geismar plant after a review and site selection process was completed. Work on the site is expected to begin in mid to late 2021, reaching mechanical completion in late 2023.

The Geismar site was the first renewable diesel plant built in the US. REG purchased the plant in 2014 and has since made a range of improvements, including capacity expansion projects.

“This is an exciting milestone for our business as we continue to advance our drive to produce low carbon fuels at significant scale,” Warner said. “We are developing this project with our proprietary process technology, and are proud to continue to deliver sustainable fuel solutions to our customers and accelerate the transition to clean energy.”