Next Era Energy, the company behind the Corby Project application (proposed for unincorporated Solano County and pending before the California Energy Commission) agreed last week to build an onsite solar array for Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex. The 88 acre solar facility in Contra Costa County will become one of the largest on-site dedicated solar facilities in the United States, according to a release from Phillips 66,
The Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex will consist of more than 70,000 solar modules that will generate about 60,000 Megawatt Hours per year of electricity, enough to power 23,000 electric vehicles for an entire year.
“We are excited to collaborate with NextEra Energy Resources on a project that aligns with our mission of providing energy and improving lives,” said Zhanna Golodryga, executive vice president of Emerging Energy and Sustainability for Phillips 66. “This solar facility not only underscores our commitment to advancing a lower-carbon future but also enhances our energy infrastructure.”
The project is expected to avoid about 33,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year starting in the first quarter of 2025. It will provide 50 percent of the power to the facility and will not use water to generate electricity.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Phillips 66 on the Rodeo solar facility, which exemplifies our commitment to developing custom solutions to meet our customers’ growing energy needs at the speed they require,” said Rebecca Kujawa, president & CEO of NextEra Energy Resources. “This project will not only benefit Phillips 66’s operations and the customers who rely on its renewable fuels but also demonstrates how renewable energy can integrate seamlessly into industrial operations.”
According to Phillips 66, the complex produces renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, as well as other renewable fuels. As of June, the site has built out the capacity to provide 50,000 barrels a day of renewable feedstocks.
“The facility uses lower-carbon intensity feedstocks, including used cooking oil, fats, greases and vegetable oi,” the release reads. “Its geographic location, unique processing infrastructure and flexible transportation logistics make it a world-class supplier of renewable fuels, which have lower life-cycle carbon emissions than conventional fuels.”
Next Era Energy has submitted the Corby Project, a BESS facility proposed for unincorporated Solano County next to the Vaca-Dixon substation, for approval by the CEC. AB 205, a 2022 law, creates an alternate permitting pathway for BESS projects to supersede municipal and county authorities.
As previously reported by The Reporter, Next Era, signed an agreement in 2023 with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for the power that the batteries will store, according to the company’s website. The SFPUC provides more than 70 percent of San Francisco’s power and operates CleanPowerSF, which aims to provide renewable energy to the city at competitive rates. In August 2023, CleanPowerSF indicated that it expected the project to be operational in 2025.
In 2021, Phillips 66 said it would cut its emissions of greenhouse gas by 30 percent by 2030.
“We support the ambitions of the Paris Agreement, and Phillips 66 will do its part by improving energy efficiency and developing lower-carbon technologies,” Chief Executive Greg Garland said.