BP Carson Refinery
We are a leader in the production of low-emission gasoline, setting the standard for other refineries and for the State of California.
The story of BP's Carson Refinery began more than 200 years ago with Juan Jose Dominguez, a soldier and guide for the king of Spain. As reward for his 30 years of military service in Mexico and Alta California, he was granted 75,000 acres of land known as the “Rancho San Pedro.”
His rancho was bordered on the east by the Los Angeles River and on the north by what is now Artesia Boulevard, and encompassed all of the Los Angeles Harbor. Almost 100 years and many family divisions later, the portion of land belonging to great-great-great nephew Patrick John Watson became the site of the BP Carson Refinery.
‘Black Gold’ rush
Oil discoveries in Southern California, including local discoveries in Signal Hill, Santa Fe Springs, and Huntington Beach, and the ensuing “Black Gold” rush, set the stage for the petroleum industry in the Los Angeles Basin. The Watson Ranch, which was only three miles west of Signal Hill, and the first developed land north of Los Angeles Harbor, became a prime location for storage tanks and a refinery. On March 3, 1923, Pan-American Petroleum paid $2,000 per acre for Patrick Watson’s 100-acre tract.
In 1937, the Richfield Oil Company of California bought Pan-American and decided to expand by constructing the Watson Refinery at a cost of five million dollars. With a capacity of 50,000 barrels per day, in October of 1938 Watson was brought on line. A pioneer in the production of 100-octane aviation gasoline, the refinery played a crucial role in meeting the military needs of World War II.
Renovations and expansions
The refinery went through four major renovations before the Atlantic and Richfield merger. Additional modernizations and expansions punctuate the refinery’s history since then. In November of 1987, the Watson Cogeneration Plant began producing electricity and steam for the refinery, selling excess capacity to Southern California Edison. Today, it produces enough electricity to meet the needs of 400,000 homes in the Los Angeles Basin.
In 1987, the Watson Refinery’s name was officially changed to the “Los Angeles Refinery.” Following the BP merger in April 2000, the name was changed to “BP Carson Refinery.”
Bright future
The future of the BP Carson Refinery is bright. We lead the nation in the production of low-emission gasoline, setting the standard for other refineries and for the State of California. Our 1,100 employees process 275,000 barrels of oil per day into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petroleum coke. The refinery, located on more than 630 acres of land, currently supplies about 25 percent of the Los Angeles gasoline market.
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