Marathon Petroleum has signed an agreement with One Energy Enterprises to install five 2.3-megawatt wind turbines at MPC’s renewable diesel facility in Dickinson, North Dakota to help further decrease its carbon emissions profile.
MPC contracted One Energy to develop, own, and operate the turbines. One Energy will provide the capital for the project and MPC will pay a fixed price for the wind-generated electricity delivered by One Energy for a period of 20 years. The turbines are expected to generate more than 40 million kilowatt hours of energy each year, providing approximately 45% of the renewable diesel facility’s electricity needs.
MPC executive vice-president of Refining, Ray Brooks, said the project is a win for lower-carbon fuels and company performance. “Lowering the carbon intensity of the renewable fuels we produce at our Dickinson facility helps us to capture additional value in the markets we serve and enhance the overall sustainability of our operations.”
Lowering the carbon intensity of renewable fuels produced at the Dickinson facility also aligns with MPC’s objective of reducing its companywide GHG emissions intensity by 30% below 2014 levels by 2030. MPC is the first independent refining company in the US to link achieving such a GHG goal to its executive and employee compensation.
The wind-power installation at the Dickinson facility won’t be MPC’s first foray into renewable power-generation. The company installed a 6,000-panel solar array in its headquarters city of Findlay, Ohio, in 2012 to study the potential for using solar energy in its operations.
MPC’s Dickinson plant is the second-largest renewable diesel production facility in the US, and has a production capacity of approximately 184 million gallons per year. The wind-generating capacity of the turbines at Dickinson will make it one of the largest on-site industrial power generators in the US.
For more information visit: www.marathonpetroleum.com
