Minutes from the general meeting held on 3rd June 2021
DVTI Meeting
August 5, 2021
Present: Beth Arman, Ryan Buckley, Nichol Carranza, Amalia Cunningham, Ed Del Beccaro, Sam Driggers, Vicki Gordon, Jeanette Green, Scott Hanks, Joellen Heaney, Jags Krishnamurthy, Bob Linscheid, John Matthesen, Carol Obringer, Charlie Shi, Jeffrey Smith, Jennifer Tejada, Mario Tejada
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John opened the meeting at 3:05 pm.
Nichol Carranza and Scott Hanks from Marathon Petroleum discussed their transition to Martinez Renewable Fuels.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation:
Established in 1887; part of Martinez community for over 100 years
#22 on the 2020 Fortune 500 List
Industry leader emphasizing environmental responsibility and characterized by safe and reliable operations
Martinez Renewable Fuels Project Benefits:
60% reduction in greenhouse gases
Approximately 730 million gallons per year of renewable fuels
70% reduction in criteria air pollutants
One billion gallons less water used annually
Feedstocks: corn oil, soybean oil, animal fats, used cooking oil (no palm oil)
Finished products: renewable diesel, renewable propane (no crude oil)
Employs approximately 130-150 full-time employees
Project Timeline:
Project approved: 2/2021
First Renewable Diesel Production Capacity online at 17,000 bpd: Q3/Q4 2022
Full Conversion Capacity online at 48,000 bpd: End of 2023
Progress:
Permit applications submitted
Discussion with feedstock suppliers/engineering underway
Environmental impact review submitted. Will be available for public view later in the month.
Renewable Diesel:
Lower emissions than traditional diesel fuels
Can be used in existing diesel engines without costly modifications
Chemically equivalent to petroleum diesel, including performance and mileage
No special handling, storage, or use requirements, providing increased opportunities for adoption
Offering products locally will be beneficial.
Lower carbon intensity score (footprint) in the supply chain process
Project Construction Facts:
Seven repurposed units
Two new units: Pretreatment unit (largest in the world) and Wastewater treatment plant
Intensive focus on safety is a built-in part of company culture.
De-commissioning the former refinery units are ongoing (intensive planning, engineering, environmental assessments and cleanings, inspections, monitoring).
Q&A:
Q: You will be producing at one quarter to one-half capacity. Who will make up the fuel demand? A: We are no longer producing any petroleum projects. We will only be doing renewable diesel and renewable propane. Will use other suppliers for gasoline to fill the void. We see a production of sustainable aviation fuel from renewable sources in the future.
Q: What level of automation are you looking at? Will you be using drones? A: MPC has used drones at many of our locations and will be using them here. We also employ leak detection equipment. Distributed control system commands the operation: the whole process will be run by two people.
Q: Carlyn: We are embarking on selecting a master developer for the former Concord Naval Weapons center. Since your property is nearby, do you see synergies with the naval weapons center? A: Would like to learn more about what the future is there. We need long-term technical support in many aspects.
Q: What type of ongoing training and education will be needed for your workforce? A: We will be hiring operators and maintenance people in November. We would like to “jump-start” an employee who starts with a framework of basic skills and then takes a short class to learn the process/functions/basic operator skills quickly.
Q: Where does DVC fit in with your job needs? Will you have openings for technical people or hard-core petroleum operators? DVC has a whole crew of eager, young technicians. A: We will always be in the market for engineers. There will always be jobs for technically driven students. We will look for someone who is highly technical to manage instruments in the facility. Will also need people to operate the assets. Technical and troubleshooting backgrounds will be necessary.
Scott will visit the ENG TECH facility and discuss the DVC curriculum with Charlie.
Jeffrey has specifically developed a program for the refinery. Jeffrey, Nichol, and Scott will talk offline about tours, etc.
Workforce Development Update (Beth):
Nichol and Dimitri spoke at a recent DVC Career Academy. DVC wants to continue to work closely with Marathon helping with hiring new employees or helping existing employees.
If Marathon employees are interested in taking classes at DVC, we can help. Pleasant Hill and San Ramon campuses are officially open for business. We are still offering online classes along with hybrid and face-to-face courses. There is a mask mandate for indoors in effect; no vaccine mandate yet.
Congratulations to Charlie Shi, new Interim Dean for Business, Computer Science, Culinary & Community Education.
Adjourned: 4:03 pm
