La Mede refinery, under French energy company Total, ceased crude oil refining in 2016 to repurpose itself as a biorefinery. The conversion project launched in 2015 and the new biorefinery began producing biofuel in July of 2019. 

La Mede has the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of biofuel and biodiesel per year. The biorefinery is designed to produce and process biofuels from various oils— oils are made from 60% to 70% sustainable vegetable oils: rapeseed, palm, and sunflower oils. The remaining 30% to 40% will be sourced from treated waste: animal fat and used cooking oil. In keeping with their promise of sustainability, all oil processed will be certified to meet European Union sustainability standards. 

Next to the redevelopment of the refinery that named La Mede Europe’s largest biorefinery, the site also houses a logistics and storage hub for diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and heating oil that contributes to the activity of the Marseille Fos Port. An Adblue (an additive that reduces nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel engines in trucks/vehicles) production plant was set up on the site, as well as a training center that is able to train more than 2,000 people a year.