April 25, 2025 | Hannah Workman | Click To View Original Article
Updated April 25, 2025, 10:02 a.m. PT
BWC Terminals and Port of Stockton officials unveiled an expanded renewable fuels terminal, the first of its kind in California in 30 years, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the port on Earth Day.
The state-of-the-art terminal includes the first newly constructed Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards-compliant dock built in California in nearly 30 years. It will play a vital role in advancing the renewable fuels supply chain across the state, according to BWC Terminals officials.
“This is really a cumulation of five years of growth here in Stockton for BWC Terminals,” said Adam Smith, president and CEO of BWC Terminals. “We took a terminal that was very small and built it over time with the help of the building trades, as well as our partnership with the Port of Stockton and the local community, to grow this facility into a leading green energy, energy-transition hub over the last several years.”
The terminal is designed to safely and efficiently transfer renewable diesel and biodiesel from marine vessels, supporting California’s efforts to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy-duty transportation, BWC Terminals officials stated.
The facility features modern safety and environmental systems, including spill containment, fire protection, seismic resilience and upgraded vessel mooring infrastructure.
BWC Terminals officials stated that the company has rapidly expanded its Stockton terminal by over 500% in the past five years to meet California’s growing demand for renewable fuel storage and logistics.
Constructed under a Project Labor Agreement with the San Joaquin Building Trades Council, the expansion project created 30 construction jobs across nine trades. The renewable fuels terminal and new dock support 18 full-time positions at BWC Terminals’ Stockton facilities.
Port Commissioner Anthony Barkett said the completion of the terminal marked “an exciting and transformative moment” for the Port of Stockton, and emphasized that the port needs to be a leader in green solutions.
“The completion of this terminal not only represents a significant advancement in our maritime infrastructure, but also underscores our collective commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility,” Barkett said. “With this state-of-the-art facility, we are proud to support the growing demand for renewable fuels, which will play a crucial role in reducing emissions and making maritime transportation more eco-friendly.”
U.S. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Tracy) attended the ceremony and presented a certificate on behalf of Congress to BWC Terminals for the company’s investment in Stockton.
“This is bringing in renewable fuel and helping us push Stockton to a better air quality, cleaner energy city,” Harder said. “That’s going to enable our economic development and ultimately bring more infrastructure and transportation jobs right here, even disconnected from the direct jobs from the port.”
The congressman said Stockton is the asthma capital of the country and while that has a lot to do with the geology of the Valley, the port could play an important role in making sure the city has better air quality and a cleaner future.
“I’m working on critical investments to help make Stockton the first 100% clean energy port anywhere in the United States,” Harder said. “This terminal is a sign of what that actually is going to look like, but we need to be doing a lot more behind that. We need to make sure that every single vehicle here, and every single ship that comes in and out, is 100% clean. If we do that, it’s going to be good for the port, it’s going to be good for our jobs and our economy, but most of all, it’s going to be good for the health and the lungs of our kids.”
Michael Anderson, chief of staff for San Joaquin County District 1 Supervisor Mario Gardea, and Melissa Santos, district director for Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy), also presented BWC Terminals with certificates of recognition during the ceremony.
(This story has been updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
