Chevron to make adjustments to Los Angeles refinery following large fire

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

October 4, 2025 3:23 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


Oct 4 (Reuters) - Chevron (CVX.N) said on Saturday that it will be making operational adjustments to its 285,000 barrel-per-day El Segundo refinery to meet Southern California's fuel demands after a large fire erupted on Thursday night at the refinery.

The El Segundo refinery is the second-largest in California and Chevron's second-biggest refinery in the United States.

The facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in Southern California.

An unplanned flare event occurred at the El Segundo refinery on Saturday following the extinguishing of the fire.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-make-adjustments-los-angeles-refinery-following-large-fire-2025-10-04/

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143541387

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. And yet, the solar panels on my roof

have quietly produced electricity for 10 years now. Each dawn, I receive a constant stream of power from our neighborhood fusion reactor which delivers photons from 93 million miles away, each day, every day.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Large areas of solar panels CAN have some issues

Dietz & Watson warehouse blaze: solar panels hampered firefighting, officials say

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. Seriously?

Any power system can cause a fire. The question is how often do we have explosions/fires at refineries versus solar farms/roofs? Solar is far, far less dangerous.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Well in that case, Dietz & Watson (that makes deli products) made good use of the roof area for panels

(and be electric self-sufficient). But then (at least back then), there was an issue of firefighters being trained on how to deal with large surface areas of panels without getting electrocuted, etc.

I am definitely NOT "anti-solar" but am a realist as the tech gets rolled out more and more - particularly now in urban areas with row houses.

Here in Philly, we are veterans of refinery fires, having at one time, had the largest number of refineries on the east coast, with at least 3 large refinery fires in 50 years. The last one to blow was PES back 6 years ago, and it was eventually shut down, decommissioned, and in the process of being cleaned up for a business center -

It's not really that common and refineries in general, have been around for at least a century. But the collateral damage to the surrounding area is a concern if one undergoes some kind of fire.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. Weird!

Serious failure on training on someone's part.

Every solar facility, residential or commercial, I have seen has the master shutoff plainly marked near the meter. For my house it is a single leaver, for a big array, it can be several BIG switches, but they are usually marked in bright orange.

Proper training for firefighters is crucial. I know that many states fell down on the job training fire crews about EVs, but I didn't realize that the same was happening with solar.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. This facility was in New Jersey (back in 2013)

and it was a 6-alarm fire initially - 6-alarm fire rips through Dietz & Watson warehouse in Burlington County

From the article -

The fire broke out at the Dietz & Watson factory on Cooperstown Road in Delanco around 2 p.m. Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the roof of the facility for miles away.

Officials say the fire is currently contained between the trusses and the solar panels on the roof. There have been two explosions so far and at least one wall has come down.

“It’s just an intense fire,” said Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt. “It’s going to take some time and we don’t know what it’s going to do. The problem we have with this fire is the whole roof has solar panels on it, so we can’t get on the roof to fight it.”

In 2010, the company installed more than 7,000 solar power modules, which officials claimed would reduce the facility’s energy use by nearly 20 percent. Buildings with solar power systems “can present a variety of significant hazards” for firefighters including electrocution, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

(snip)

It eventually expanded to be an 11-alarm fire - 11 alarm South Jersey food warehouse fire contained

I expect that many of the responding units were from nearby volunteer fire departments.

They eventually tore it all down and moved their storage back here to Philly (for the time being).

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. How does a refinery that produces gasoline and aviation fuel resemble the solar array on your roof? NT

[Miguelito Loveless]

8. It was contrasting, not comparing

Refinery fires and explosions are a common occurrence. I was contrasting a burning refinery (a common occurrence), with my (and all solar), which rarely catches fire, and is quiet, clean, and cheap.

[hunter]

9. The utility batteries that support solar power can be as dangerous.

Smoke from fire at California lithium battery plant raises concerns about air quality

BY OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ AND ISABELLA O’MALLEY
Updated 6:35 PM PDT, January 17, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people. The blaze also shook up the young battery storage industry.

The fire at the Vistra Energy lithium battery plant in Moss Landing generated huge flames and significant amounts of smoke Thursday but had diminished significantly by Friday, Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County said. Vistra is based in Texas.

--more--

https://apnews.com/article/battery-storage-plant-fire-california-moss-landing-7c561fed096f410ddecfb04722a8b1f8

So many people have solar in my neighborhood that we export electricity when the sun is shining. When it's not, and the batteries are drained, natural gas keeps the lights on.

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. Transformers on the poles

also catch fire, and do so all the time. They contain dioxin laden oil which is quite hazardous to breathe. Again, it is a matter of relative danger. Yes, batteries can catch fire, but they do so at a fraction of the rate that other fires occur in gasoline cars and conventional transformers/sub-stations/power plants.

The major reason there is so much "resistance" to the individual home solar/battery idea is that decentralizing the power grid, while quite desirable for civilization, really cuts into the profits of the utility/fossil fuel industry. That's why they do everything possible to prevent rooftop solar for individuals, while building solar farms, windmills, and huge battery storage facilities. The former makes them no money, while the latter makes them a fortune since they control it.

I have not suffered a single power outage in 10 years. My batteries keep me running when the grid fails, and my solar recharges the battery during the day. They power my home, my HVAC, and my cars. I am now paid to provide power to the grid during times of high demand, negating even the small amount of electricity I use in the Winter when the days are shorter. As more EVs come on the scene, those vehicles can perform double duty, transportation and V2H/V2G. Are there still technical and equity challenges to be worked out. Absolutely, and the billion dollar bribe Trump solicited from the fossil fuel industry just set us back a decade at least.

Can everyone use it? No, the main problem is getting it for apartment dwellers and other renters. Is it expensive? Yes, especially now that all tax credits are being eliminated. But the expense is on the same trajectory as computers and TVs, plummeting fast. In 1980, solar was $1000 per watt of capacity installed. Today it is around $3 without tax credits per watt installed. Utility grade installations are about 50¢/watt. Panels 10 years ago generated 250 watts of power each, today they produce 450 watts. The current major impediment to safe, cleaner, cheaper and more reliable electricity is our current dictator.