Lorenzo’s Energy Corp. will begin operations on its refinery on Tuesday, after the plant had been closed by the California Department of Energy and the California Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for almost two years.
The facility has a capacity of nearly 12,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Lorenzo’s will begin producing oil and gas from the refinery in March, and expects to have its first oil refinery in the state by 2020.
“The refinery is open and we have a facility that is capable of producing about 4,000 bpd of refined products,” Lorenzo’s vice president of marketing, David F. Miller, said in a statement.
“This is good news for the community and for the oil industry, as we continue to expand production from the plant.”
Lorenzo’s currently has a refinery in nearby La Jolla, Calif.
Miller said the refinery’s production will help bolster Lorenzo’s prospects for the future, especially with the addition of a new refinery.
“We expect to continue to operate at the refinery, which is in excellent condition,” Miller said.
Lorenzo is part of the largest refinery in North America.
The refinery is the first in the U.S. to be converted to oil production.
Miller also said that Lorenzo is in the process of obtaining permits to operate a new oil refinery on the island of Puerto Rico, which has more than 4,400 oil wells and a thriving oil industry.