Hydroygen Renewal Project :: Energy Power

Chevron is one of the world's largest integrated oil companies in the world and is headquartered here in the Bay Area. Chevron is known to be involved in the exploration for, and production of, oil and natural gas, as well as the pipeline transportation of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, the refining of crude oil into refined petroleum products, including gasoline, aviation fuel, and other light petroleum products. One of its refineries is also located in the Bay Area. The Richmond Refinery is one of the largest and oldest refineries on the West Coast. Construction of the refinery started according to in 1901, and it was soon bought by Standard Oil (TCFLUI). It covers 2,900 acres, has 5,000 miles of pipelines, and hundreds of large tanks, that can hold up to 15 million barrels of crude, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, lube oil, wax, and other chemicals produced by the refinery. Most of these operations require intense heat and pressure, requiring 130 megaw atts of power and up to 50 million gallons of cooling water daily (TCFLUI). With a processing capacity of over 350,000 barrels per day, this refinery is among the largest in the United States (TCFLUI). Recently chevron proposed a project plan to the city of Richmond that would upgrade the outdated refinery. The plan is known as the hydrogen renewal project, it would include a power plant replacement which would replace inefficient steam boiler. Hydrogen plant and purity replacement which would replace the outdated high energy used plant with a newer energy efficient plant, along with modifying existing equipment to improve the purity of the hydrogen used by the plant. Some members of the Richmond community are in an uproar about the recently proposed plan claiming that this is far from what the city desires at the moment. Critics of the proposed plan such as an Oakland-based environmental group indict chevron of lying, accusing the company that their plan to switch to refining dirtier, cheaper crude oil that could result in five to fifty times more pollution (cbs5). This would increase releases of mercury, selenium, toxic sulfur compounds, and greenhouse gases. And why would the Chevron switch to refining dirtier, cheaper crude oil? Greg Karras a senior scientist with communities for a Better environment claims â€Å"Because price discounts can exceed $5 per barrel, which , for a refinery Chevron’s size, could lead to be about $400 million per year† (cbs5).