Chevron Richmond Refinery

The Chevron Richmond Refinery sprawls along the bay shoreline east of San Francisco, transforming crude oil into fuels and chemical feedstocks through towers, reactors, and separation units. The industrial site covers several square miles of waterfront and inland hillside, with rows of cylindrical tanks reflecting sunlight and metal piping networks connecting dozens of processing structures.

Standard Oil opened the refinery in the early 1900s to process California crude near the growing port. Over more than a century, the facility expanded through multiple phases and ownership changes, eventually becoming part of the Chevron network after corporate mergers and reorganizations.

The facility maintains a private recreational center from 1921 for employees, featuring a yacht harbor, shooting ranges, baseball fields, and tennis courts.

The refinery sits north of downtown Richmond and remains closed to the public, though its structures are visible from nearby highways and waterfront paths. Viewing areas along adjacent trails and hillsides offer a sense of the complex scale from a safe distance outside the perimeter fencing.

Flare towers burn excess gas around the clock, producing tall flames and plumes that glow orange against the night sky and reflect across the water. The site operates its own fire department and wastewater treatment systems independent of the city, maintaining emergency response teams and environmental monitoring stations throughout the grounds.