Phillips 66 teams with NextEra to power California refinery with solar energy

Adds details about the solar plant's output, background on refinery's conversion

By Nicole Jao

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Phillips 66 PSX.N will power its refinery in Rodeo, California with a new solar facility owned and operated by electrical utility NextEra Energy NEE.N, the refiner said on Tuesday.

The solar plant, with an estimated output of 30.2 megawatts, 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.

The facility will consist of more than 70,000 solar modules and will generate around 60,000 megawatt hours per year of electricity.

The solar plant 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.

Earlier this year, Phillips 66 converted the refinery 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.

(Reporting by Nicole Jao in New York; Editing by Rod Nickel)

((Nicole.Jao@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter/X: @ByNicoleJao; +1 646 540 2216;))