December 12, 2024 [Reuters]- Phillips 66 will help power its refinery in Rodeo, California, with a new solar facility owned and operated by electrical utility NextEra Energy, the refiner said on Tuesday.

The solar plant, with an estimated output of 30.2 megawatts, will begin operation in January 2025 and gradually ramp up power throughout the first quarter, a company spokesperson said in an email.

The facility will be built on 88 acres (36 hectares) of land owned by Phillips 66, adjacent to its renewable fuels facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company said in a press release. It will consist of more than 70,000 solar modules and will generate around 60,000 megawatt hours per year of electricity.

A spokesperson at Phillips 66 declined to say which units would be powered by the solar plant.

The solar facility is expected to help reduce the refinery’s grid power demand by half and lower its carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 33,000 metric tons a year starting in the first quarter of 2025, the refiner said.

Phillips 66 converted the refinery earlier this year to producing renewable diesel from fats, vegetable oils and greases, after previously making gasoline and diesel from crude oil.

The refinery achieved full capacity in June, producing approximately 50,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and other products.

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