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5 min read Willow Rock

WEEKEND NEWS CODEX: Willow Rock Project; Soda Mountain Solar Project; PBF's Martinez Refinery

  • A Novel Long-Duration Storage Project is Coming to the California Desert: "The startup Hydrostor’s Willow Rock project would store 500 megawatts of power that could be injected into the grid for up to eight hours, totaling 4 gigawatt-hours. That’s more gigawatt-hours than any lithium-ion battery offers, and a rare step forward for a major long-duration energy storage project. Once online, it could prove a crucial tool for California, where intermittent solar generation has become the state’s top source of electricity." CANARY MEDIA
  • Bid Optimization: ERCOT & CAISO Market Outlook – Week of January 7, 2026: "As solar production ramped back up in the new year, pricing dynamics returned to what we have seen throughout 2025 – tight TB4 spreads with little real-time price action above the day-ahead mark. However, a high miss on the net load forecast combined with strong solar production on January 5th pulled real-time prices close to negative territory. This provided a valuable charging opportunity in the real-time market and highlights the importance of capitalizing on such opportunities when the sun re-emerges after long spells of rain." ASCEND ANALYTICS
  • California's Higher Gas Prices are a Policy Choice Not an Accident: "Before the end of the year, the California Independent Petroleum Association sent a blunt message to the California Energy Commission: California’s oil industry is approaching a breaking point, and state inaction risks higher gas prices, supply disruptions, and deeper economic harm for working families and businesses. The letter urges immediate intervention to prevent the dismantling of the Valero Benicia Refinery and the collapse of the San Pablo Bay Pipeline, the last pipeline carrying Kern County crude to Northern California refineries. According to CIPA, losing either would destabilize the system." CALIFORNIA GLOBE
  • California Introduces Bill to Legalize Plug-In Balcony Solar: "The proposed law defines balcony solar systems as devices between 400 W and 1,200 W that connect to a standard 120 V wall outlet. The systems use integrated microinverters to convert direct current into alternating current for direct connection with home appliances. The bill prohibits utilities from triggering formal interconnection agreements for these devices." PV MAGAZINE
  • California Reclaims Authority to Move Stalled Soda Mountain Solar Project Toward Approval: "The California Energy Commission has issued a recommendation to certify the Soda Mountain Solar Project, moving a previously stalled development toward a final decision. The project includes plans for 300 MW of solar and 300 MW/1,200 MWh battery energy storage. The action represents a milestone for the California solar industry as it utilizes a state-level permitting pathway to address projects that have faced significant local opposition. By applying an opt-in process created by state Assembly Bill 205, the project’s developer has shifted the lead regulatory authority from San Bernardino County to the state commission." PV MAGAZINE
  • California Takes a "Study First" Approach to Data Center Regulation: "California lawmakers have recently focused renewed attention on the rapid growth of data centers, driven in large part by cloud computing and artificial intelligence capacity demands. Concerns about grid reliability, electricity costs, and environmental impacts prompted a flurry of legislative proposals in the 2024–2025 session. The result, however, is a more incremental regulatory approach than many industry participants initially expected." MORGAN LEWIS
  • Court Rejects Emergency Appeal to Stop Pipeline Restart: "The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an attempt to stay the approval of Sable Offshore Corp.’s pipeline restart plan. The lawsuit will proceed on an expedited basis with opening briefs due January 26, 2025." CALIFORNIA ENERGY JOURNAL
  • Foreign Billionaires Are Investing in American Energy Lawsuits: "A prominent recent example unfolded in early 2025, when ExxonMobil filed a federal countersuit in Texas against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, several U.S. environmental nonprofits, and the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund. The IEJF is an Australian nonprofit linked to billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation. The original lawsuit, brought by California in 2024, accused ExxonMobil of misleading the public about the recyclability of its plastics as part of broader low-carbon and energy transition efforts." INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH
  • From Burn Piles to Biochar: "Today, only one biomass power plant remains in operation in the San Joaquin Valley and its capacity is limited. 'We used to be able to ship that material to biomass plants or landfills,' says Roger Isom, president and CEO of the Western Tree Nut Association. 'Now, there’s only one operating biomass plant left in the Valley, and it can take very limited volumes.'" BIOMASS MAGAZINE
  • Nevada Governor Lombardo Appoints Fuel Resiliency Committee to Counter California's Radical and Punitive Energy Policies: "The committee, operating under the Nevada Homeland Security Commission, brings together a diverse group of stakeholders from state agencies, local governments, industry leaders, and emergency management partners. Its formation follows Lombardo’s October 2025 proposal for a Fuel Resiliency Subcommittee, which was prompted by the closures of major California refineries, exposing Nevada to risks of fuel shortages, price spikes, and infrastructure bottlenecks." CALIFORNIA GLOBE
  • PBF Energy Provides Update on Martinez Refinery Operations: "PBF expects to achieve planned operating rates by the beginning of March 2026. PBF previously projected a year-end 2025 restart. Since early in 2Q25, the Martinez refinery has been operating in the 85 000 - 105 000 bpd range. Currently, the commissioning phase of utility systems and certain idled equipment has commenced, and a phased restart of the refinery will progress as work is completed, and the quality assurance and control process is completed." HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING
  • Reversing California's Policies of Scarcity: "With the closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia and the Philips 66 refinery in Los Angeles, the state’s remaining 11 refineries will altogether only have a capacity to process 1,338,171 barrels per day, which equates to a production deficit of 4.4 percent, and that is only when there are no disruptions whatsoever to refinery output. Typically a surplus capacity of at least five percent is needed to ensure a steady supply of gasoline and diesel fuel to consumers." CALIFORNIA GLOBE
  • SoCalGas Connects its First Landfill-Based RNG Project to its Pipeline System: "Southern California Gas Company is now accepting renewable natural gas produced at the new WM Simi Valley RNG Facility into its pipeline system, marking the first time SoCalGas has interconnected a landfill-based RNG site with its infrastructure. WM captures landfill gas from its Simi Valley Landfill — which serves Ventura County and the west San Fernando Valley — and the RNG facility processes it into pipeline-quality RNG, which is then delivered into SoCalGas’s pipeline system. This RNG can be allocated to fuel consumption for heavy duty compressed natural gas vehicles and the RNG can be used to fuel homes and businesses." BIOMASS MAGAZINE
  • Terra-Gen Boots Up 515 MWh of Energy Storage in Southern California: "The 128.7 MW, four-hour lithium-ion battery energy storage system combined project comprises 164 battery enclosures and utilizes the existing gen-tie line connecting to Southern California Edison’s Kramer Junction Substation. The use of the resource adequacy capacity is fully contracted under two long-term resource adequacy agreements with Pacific Gas and Electric Company." SOLAR POWER WORLD
  • Valero to Keep Importing Gasoline After Benicia Refinery Closure: "Gasoline production will continue until inventories are worked down, but the company said it expects most refining process units to be properly idled by April." REUTERS

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