# Valero Benicia Refinery

Valero Benicia Refinery, Benicia, CA. 145,000 bpd crude capacity (EIA-820). Status: idled. Injects into Kinder Morgan SFPP; reaches 5 delivery points and 5 terminals by published tariff. Crude supply, outlets, events.

- Location: Benicia, CA
- Status: idled — 170,000-bpd throughput capacity (Valero); EIA-820 records 145,000 bcd (different measurement basis). On April 16, 2025 Valero notified the California Energy Commission of intent to idle/restructure/cease refining by end of April 2026, following a $1.1B combined impairment (with Wilmington) recorded in Q1 2025; on April 24, 2025 Valero confirmed it would cease refining operations, citing California's regulatory/enforcement environment. A January 2026 update softened full closure to an idling plan: processing units began idling in Q1 2026, and per Valero's own site, 'full idling of all processing units was completed in April 2026.' As of the retrieval date, the refinery is idled (not producing), with Valero maintaining permits/safe condition and evaluating redevelopment while supplying Northern California via imports and alternative arrangements.
- Crude capacity: 145,000 bpd (EIA-820)
- Operator: Valero Refining Company - California
- Parent: Valero Energy Corporation

## Pipelines it injects into
- Kinder Morgan SFPP at Benicia (same city) — https://thinkingonenergy.com/supply/pipeline/kinder-morgan-sfpp/

## Reach by published tariff route
| Pipeline | Delivery points | Terminals | Lowest ¢/bbl | Median ¢/bbl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinder Morgan SFPP | 5 | 6 | 32.36 | 33.50 |

## Crude supply
- pipeline: Unnamed intrastate crude pipeline(s) from San Joaquin Valley — Refinery project-description filing states California-produced crude (primarily San Joaquin Valley) is delivered to the refinery by pipeline; no specific named trunk-line operator identified in sources reviewed.
- marine: Valero Marine Terminal, Port of Benicia (Carquinez Strait) — Crude oils from the US and abroad (including Canada) are delivered by marine vessel to Valero's own marine terminal on the Carquinez Strait, built 1968, then pumped to onsite crude storage tanks. Confirms the graph's Carquinez Strait / Suisun Bay marine terminal edge.
- rail: UPRR crude-by-rail (Valero Crude by Rail project) — A 2013 CEQA filing describes a Valero project to receive up to 70,000 bpd of crude by rail, replacing an equivalent marine-vessel volume; 2024 reporting references at least one historical shipload of Canadian crude received this way. Current (2026) rail utilization not confirmed.

## Product outlets
- pipeline: Kinder Morgan SFPP (North Line) — Kinder Morgan describes its SFPP North Line as running from refineries in Richmond and Concord, California, fed generally by 'refineries in the San Francisco Bay Area, various pipelines and marine terminals.' This supports Bay Area refineries broadly feeding SFPP, but sources reviewed do not explicitly name Benicia as a North Line injection point.
- marine: Valero Marine Terminal, Port of Benicia — Same marine terminal used for crude receipt also handles refined-product/feedstock deliveries and exports via vessel and barge.
- rail: UPRR rail (product export) — Refinery uses the existing UPRR line to export asphalt, petroleum coke and LPG (and to import refining chemicals).
- truck_rack: Valero Benicia Refinery truck rack — Refinery produced CARBOB gasoline, diesel, CARB diesel, jet fuel and asphalt, supplying ~10% of California's CARBOB gasoline and ~45% of Northern California's asphalt; Valero's specialty-products page states asphalt is marketed from its refineries and terminals 'by barge, rail and truck,' consistent with an onsite asphalt/fuels truck rack, though a refinery-specific rack was not separately documented.

## Recent events
- 2026-04 — Full idling of all processing units at the Benicia refinery completed, per Valero's own site.
- 2026-01 — Valero updated its plan from potential full closure to a phased idling, continuing to evaluate strategic/redevelopment options; Governor Newsom called this a 'constructive development' compared to the earlier full-closure/market-exit scenario.
- 2025-04-24 — Valero confirmed it would cease refining operations at Benicia, citing California's regulatory/enforcement environment and declining fuel-supply/high-gasoline-price concerns.
- 2025-04-16 — Valero notified the California Energy Commission of intent to idle, restructure, or cease refining operations at Benicia by end of April 2026; recorded a combined $1.1B pre-tax impairment on Benicia and Wilmington.

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Source: Thinking On Energy Supply Explorer — https://thinkingonenergy.com/supply/refinery/valero-refining-co-california-benicia-ca/
Built from published FERC pipeline tariffs, EIA-820, the IRS Terminal Control Number list and sourced research. Rates are line-haul only. Cite as: Thinking On Energy, Supply Explorer, 2026-09-29.