On August 26, 2020, Torrance Refining Company LLC (TORC) presented to the South Coast Air Quality Management Hearing Board (Board) the Torrance Refinery’s (Refinery) compliance with the intent of the Stipulated Order Abatement (SAO) and provided evidence to demonstrate that Southern California Edison’s (SCE) upgraded 66kV system has achieved an overall Refinery electrical system reliability improvement fundamentally equivalent to the system reliability that would have been achieved if the Refinery had been able to connect to SCE’s 220 kV lines.
As a result, the upgraded system power supply to the Refinery is now two times better than the industry average. TORC also presented to the Board that because of the upgrades to SCE’s 66kV system and additional improvements made by TORC within the Refinery, there has been significant downward trend in power disruptions/disturbances from SCE’s system experienced by the Refinery since the fall of 2016. Since that time, the Refinery has experienced minimal flaring caused by SCE power disruptions/disturbances, and zero flaring events exceeding applicable opacity limits. As a result, the goal and intent of the SAO to substantially improve SCE’s electrical reliability to the Refinery has been demonstrated. At the end of the Hearing a majority of the Board agreed, and directed that once the Refinery’s AUX Boiler’s existing Burner Management System (BMS) was upgraded, the Refinery will have achieved final compliance with all conditions in the Order, and upon certifying compliance to the Board, the SAO will be terminated within 45-days.
TORC has now completed the BMS upgrade and has submitted proof of upgrade completion and certification of final compliance. TORC expects the SAO will terminate by year’s end.
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