Platts launches RD99 USGC and RD99 pipeline LA and SF assessments, Aug. 3

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, has launched Renewable Diesel 99% (RD99) assessments for FOB barge US Gulf Coast, and RD99 Los Angeles and San Francisco price assessments that include environmental attributes, effective Aug. 3, 2026.

Platts proposed these new launches June 19 in a note available here, and were confirmed on July 6 in a note available here.

New RD99 USGC assessments

Platts has launched a daily RD99 Gulf Coast FOB barge assessment. Platts publishes the price as an outright and as a differential to NYMEX ULSD futures.

The Gulf Coast has the highest renewable diesel capacity in the US and is a key export and import location with increasing domestic demand and from Europe and Canada.

The RD99 USGC price assessments reflect the specifications below:

The USGC assessment reflects trades across the greater Houston area, which includes Texas City, Deer Park, Pasadena and Houston, and Beaumont/Port Arthur. Other loading points, such as the Port of South Louisiana, may be considered for assessments, but may be normalized back to the two basis locations.

The new assessments exclude the D4 biomass-based diesel Renewable Identification Number and the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z).

The new assessment considers market information reported to Platts and published as heards throughout the day, including firm bids and offers, trades and indicative values, as well as any other data deemed relevant to the assessment process.

Platts also takes into account different fuel volumes, carbon intensity, delivery dates, and ports, as well as delivery by truck, rail or pipe and may normalize back to the basis specifications.

The Platts RD99 NYMEX differential rolls from versus the front-month NYMEX ULSD futures contract (AAHS001) to the second month (AAHS002) NYMEX ULSD futures contract based on trading liquidity and market feedback.

New RD99 LA and SF assessments

Platts has also launched two RD99 outright assessments and two differentials to NYMEX ULSD futures, basis Los Angeles and San Francisco. These assessments include California cap-and-trade costs, reflecting compliance expenses under California's greenhouse gas program, as well as Low Carbon Fuel Standard deficits, reflecting costs incurred when a fuel generates a compliance obligation due to its carbon intensity.

Platts already assesses CCA and LCFS prices as follows:

Market feedback indicates that outright RD prices are commonly inclusive of attributes associated with fossil diesel.

The new assessments consider market information reported to Platts and published as heards throughout the day, including firm bids and offers, trades and indicative values, as well as any other data deemed relevant to the assessment process. In the absence of market indications, Platts may also take into account the Platts RD99 price assessments without attributes (Los Angeles, AAUWB00) and (San Francisco, AAUWD00), plus the assessed CCA and LCFS values.

The daily RD99 assessments with attributes follow the same specification as the existing RD99 West Coast assessments:

These assessments reflect the value of fuel for delivery on the Kinder Morgan Pipeline System. Platts assesses an "any month pipeline cycle," reflecting deliveries scheduled for any cycle during the current calendar month. Shipments on the Kinder Morgan pipeline are scheduled according to cycles. There are typically four cycles per month, for a total of 48 per year. For example, cycles 1, 2, 3 and 4 are for January; cycles 5, 6, 7, and 8 are for February, etc. Each cycle lasts approximately 7.5 days.

Platts also publishes the RD prices as a differential to the NYMEX ULSD futures contract daily settle. The differential rolls from using the front-month NYMEX ULSD futures contract (AAHS001) to the second month (AAHS002) contract based on trading liquidity and market feedback. The Los Angeles diesel differential typically rolls in the third week of the month, while the SF differential typically rolls in the fourth week of the month.

Platts takes into account different fuel volumes, carbon intensity, delivery dates, as well as delivery by truck and rail, and may normalize back to the basis specifications.

The new RD99 assessment reflects a 1:30 pm CST market close and follows the US publishing schedule.

Platts also publishes monthly averages. Platts currently publishes daily assessments for RD99 LA (AAUWB00) and SF (AAUWD00), as well as corresponding differentials against diesel. Platts has removed the standalone CCA cost component of these two assessments; the decision note is available here .

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