NDT Consulting in Rodeo — Renewable fuels and sustainable aviation fuel production, Bio-feedstock pretreatment
Rodeo is a single-plant town on San Pablo Bay. Phillips 66's Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex — the former San Francisco Refinery — ceased crude processing entirely in 2024 and now runs roughly 50,000 b/d, about 800 million gallons a year, of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel made from used cooking oil, tallow, greases and vegetable oils through purpose-built pretreatment units. Its marine terminal and wharf take feedstock by ship and barge. Immediately west in Crockett, the C&H Sugar refinery still processes raw cane. Inspection scope here is unusual for California: hydrotreater and pretreat circuits handling corrosive bio-feedstocks and chloride carryover rather than sour crude service.
Rodeo is a single-plant town on San Pablo Bay. Inspection work here is audited against Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management for Refineries (8 CCR §5189.1), Contra Costa County Industrial Safety Ordinance, API 510 / 570 / 653, ASME B31.3 and Section VIII Div 1, and each of those regimes requires a qualified Level III to sign the written practice and approve procedures.
Phillips 66's Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex — the former San Francisco Refinery — ceased crude processing entirely in 2024 and now runs roughly 50,000 b/d, about 800 million gallons a year, of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel made from used cooking oil, tallow, greases and vegetable oils through purpose-built pretreatment units. Its marine terminal and wharf take feedstock by ship and barge. Immediately west in Crockett, the C&H Sugar refinery still processes raw cane. Inspection scope here is unusual for California: hydrotreater and pretreat circuits handling corrosive bio-feedstocks and chloride carryover rather than sour crude service. Inspection demand is driven by operators including Phillips 66 Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, Phillips 66 Rodeo marine terminal and wharf, C&H Sugar Company refinery, Crockett, whose contracts set the qualification bar their supply chain has to meet. An outsourced ASNT Level III covers the signing authority a firm needs without carrying the role on staff — written practice, procedure approval, examination oversight and audit attendance.
Source: ASNT SNT-TC-1A employer certification framework; per-city industrial and compliance research file
| Factor | This market | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sectors driving demand | Renewable fuels and sustainable aviation fuel production, Bio-feedstock pretreatment, Marine terminals on San Pablo Bay, Bulk liquid storage and pipelines, Sugar refining (adjacent Crockett) | Determines which methods and which code regime a firm must qualify to |
| Operators setting the bar | Phillips 66 Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, Phillips 66 Rodeo marine terminal and wharf, C&H Sugar Company refinery, Crockett | Their approved-supplier requirements flow down to every contractor bidding |
| Codes named in local contracts | Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management for Refineries (8 CCR §5189.1), Contra Costa County Industrial Safety Ordinance, API 510 / 570 / 653, ASME B31.3 and Section VIII Div 1, NBIC NB-23, 33 CFR 154 marine transfer operations | Each requires a documented written practice and a Level III to approve it |
| What the Level III signs | Written practice · procedure approval · examination oversight · personnel certification | These four signatures are what an auditor asks to see first |
| Engagement shape | Retained cover · project cover · interim cover before an audit date | Scope follows the audit calendar, not a fixed schedule |
Which codes govern NDT inspection work in Rodeo?
Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management for Refineries (8 CCR §5189.1), Contra Costa County Industrial Safety Ordinance, API 510 / 570 / 653, ASME B31.3 and Section VIII Div 1, NBIC NB-23, 33 CFR 154 marine transfer operations are the regimes named in contracts here. Each puts the obligation on the employer: a written practice, a Level III who signs it, and records that survive an audit. Which one binds a given job is set by the client contract and the construction code, not by preference.
Can an outside Level III sign our written practice in Rodeo?
Yes. SNT-TC-1A places the obligation on the employer, and the employer may designate a contracted Level III to write and sign the written practice, approve procedures and administer examinations. The Level III must be qualified in each method they sign for. What an outside Level III cannot do is substitute for the employer's own records.
Which employers in Rodeo drive inspection qualification requirements?
Phillips 66 Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, Phillips 66 Rodeo marine terminal and wharf, C&H Sugar Company refinery, Crockett and their contractors. Approved-supplier requirements flow down: a firm bidding into that supply chain inherits the qualification bar whether or not its own client names it directly, which is why audit-readiness is a bidding issue rather than a paperwork one.
How quickly can a firm in Rodeo get audit-ready?
The written practice and procedure set can be drafted and signed inside weeks. What cannot be compressed is documented experience: on-the-job hours accumulate in real time, and reconstructing undocumented hours needs employer attestation. Firms that start when the audit is scheduled rather than when it is announced clear it without findings.
Does Atlantis deliver training as well as Level III cover in Rodeo?
Yes — training is delivered on-site at the employer's facility, at an arranged venue, or blended with online theory and an in-person practical, under the same Level III oversight. Employers building a cohort rather than certifying one technician usually pair the two so the written practice and the training programme match.
Related: outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, examination oversight and employer-sponsored training cohorts. A firm whose Level III has just left should start at what to do when your Level III resigns.
Engagements run as retained cover, project cover, or interim cover before a fixed audit date. See outsourced ASNT Level III cover for scope, or interim Level III when the audit is already scheduled.
Speak to an ASNT NDT Level III
Atlantis NDT provides ASNT Level III consulting, NDT training to SNT-TC-1A and ISO 9712, inspection management software and independent report validation. Request a free consultation and we will return a tailored quote — affordable, accessible and fully customizable to your programme.