VALERO REFINERY COGENERATION UNIT 1
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 51 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Solano County
- Operator
- VALERO REFINING CO CALIFORNIA
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2002
- EIA plant ID
- 55851
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 151 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 34%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.0736, -122.1411
VALERO REFINERY COGENERATION UNIT 1, a 51 MW Natural Gas power plant in Solano County, California. One of 1,114 power plants tracked in California on Bywatts.
How VALERO REFINERY COGENERATION UNIT 1 compares
With 51 MW of capacity, VALERO REFINERY COGENERATION UNIT 1 ranks 246th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 91st of the 190 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.1% of California's operating Natural Gas capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 804th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2002, it is older than 54% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Solano County with 24 other operating plants, including SOLANO WIND and HIGH WINDS LLC.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 50 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 151 GWh in 2024 (a 34% capacity factor), down 52% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is BAHIA (230 kV), about 0.5 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 42 operating power plants totaling 5,304 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is DELTA ENERGY CENTER (944 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles are 24 mapped data centers; the nearest is Level(3) Oakland in Emeryville, about 18.3 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
VALERO REFINERY COGENERATION UNIT 1 is a 51 MW natural gas power plant in Solano County, CA, operated by VALERO REFINING CO CALIFORNIA, commissioned in 2002. Solano County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.5 of 5 at the 12th national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Solano County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.79 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively High | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 6.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.12 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Hail | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | 0.10 |
Perils not assessed in Solano County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Solano County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.