Green Fuels hosts groundbreaking ceremony for new refinery

The ceremony drew state and federal officials, including Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) and Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, alongside 125 community leaders and supporters who gathered to mark the first major industrial investment at the site in more than four decades, and what officials are calling one of the most significant private energy investments in Oklahoma in a generation.

A historic site returns to productive use

The road to groundbreaking reflects years of coordinated effort between Stephens County, DAEDF, state regulators, and private partners to responsibly reclaim and redevelop one of the region's most significant brownfield properties.

The former Sunray Corp./Sun Oil Co./Tosco Corp. refinery operated as an aviation fuel producer from the 1920s until 1947, then as a general oil refinery and hydrocarbon storage facility through 1983, when Tosco Corp. closed the facility.

Following closure, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) conducted extensive environmental investigations. Through subsequent legal proceedings, ConocoPhillips Corp. was identified as the responsible party for remediation and has since completed the required environmental cleanup.

Stephens County took ownership of the site in 2004. ODEQ has now certified the property for brownfield redevelopment, subject to recorded covenants and use limitations, a critical milestone that cleared the path for new industrial investment.

In February 2026, DAEDF entered into a management agreement with Stephens County to market, promote, and facilitate economic development at the property. As the successor to the Duncan Industrial Foundation and the region's lead economic development organisation since 1954, DAEDF began actively recruiting businesses for the site. The partnership with Green Fuels Operating is the first major result of those efforts.

"This groundbreaking is a proud moment for Stephens County," stated Lyle Roggow, President and CEO of DAEDF. "For decades, this property was a major employer and economic driver for our community. Thanks to the work of our county partners and state regulators, and to the vision of Green Fuels Operating, we are finally seeing this iconic site return to productive use. We look forward to the jobs, investment, and opportunity this redevelopment will bring to Stephens County families for generations to come."

Facility overview

Green Fuels Operating's new facility will have an initial refining capacity of 30 000 bpd, expandable to 50 000 bpd, with storage for up to 1 million bbl.

The refinery will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year across three shifts, producing a diverse portfolio of refined products including: asphalt, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel. 

The project will create 75 to 80 permanent full-time jobs, along with hundreds of indirect positions throughout the region in skilled trades, engineering, operations, and technician roles. These are stable, long-term careers that will provide meaningful economic opportunity for residents of Stephens County and surrounding communities.

By creating jobs and investing capital, the company will qualify for all applicable state statutory incentives.

Advanced hydrocarbon processing technology

Green Fuels Operating deploys advanced, patented hydrocarbon processing technology utilising flash vacuum separation and a closed-loop emissions capture system to reduce emissions, recover vapours, and operate at lower processing temperatures than conventional refining.

"We're bringing the refinery back to Oklahoma. I'm not talking about it, I'm not studying it, I'm not running the numbers one more time. We're actually doing it," said Derek Williamson, CEO of Green Fuels Operating. "America has spent 50 years losing refineries. We made a decision: we're going to change that story. Refining is coming home, and we're just getting started."

National, state, and local support congressman

Tom Cole (OK-04), a senior member of Congress and longtime advocate for Oklahoma's energy sector, underscored the strategic importance of domestic refining capacity. "This is an important step in being energy independent. We don't just want to produce the product; we want to refine the product. We want to do it here in Oklahoma. This is going to be a great source of jobs, revenue, and pride for the community of Duncan. This is a big turnaround for the state of Oklahoma getting back in the refining business."

Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell highlighted the project's importance to rural Oklahoma and the state's competitive economic development environment.

"This project represents a major vote of confidence in Oklahoma with a capital investment of approximately US$400 million. Investments like this strengthen our local economies, expand our tax base, and create opportunities across all 77 counties of our state. Oklahoma is competing nationally and globally for projects like this, and today proves that Oklahoma can compete and can win."

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/03062026/green-fuels-hosts-groundbreaking-ceremony-for-new-refinery/