Oil refinery company shutting down Central Coast facility by 2023
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. - Phillips 66 energy has announced they will shut down the Santa Maria refining facility in Arroyo Grande in 2023.
The 1,780-acre facility has operated on the Nipomo Mesa near Highway 1 for 65 years.
Only about 200 acres, or roughly 11 percent of the land, is used for company operations. The remainder is grazed by cattle, held as open space or used as a preservation area for wildlife in the Nipomo Dunes.
According to the Phillips 66 website, the primary function of the Santa Maria Refinery is to convert heavy crude oil into high quality feed-stock for further processing into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
The company also sponsors local sports at Cuesta College, and at Nipomo High School.
The facility employs 110 people full-time and 50 contractors. The fate of those employees is unclear at this time.
When reached for comment, a spokesman for the company said, “Phillips 66 is committed to working with all its employees and respective Unions as impacts to the workforce are known. We will honor all collective bargaining agreements with the various employee unions that are impacted.”
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