Greka Energy

HVI Cat Canyon Inc.
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryPetroleum industry
Mining
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
(Saba; Horizontal Ventures)
HeadquartersSanta Maria, California, U.S.
Area served
Central California
Key people
Randeep Grewal, Owner and CEO
Andrew DeVegvar, President
ProductsPetroleum
Asphalt
Emulsion
Number of employees
200
Websitewww.greka.com
Location of Greka facilities in California, as of 2009.
Main entrance to Greka Refinery, Santa Maria, California

Greka Energy, legally HVI Cat Canyon Inc., is a privately held company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration principally in Santa Barbara County, California. Formed in 1999 after the acquisition and merger of several smaller firms, it is a subsidiary of Greka Integrated, Inc., a holding company headquartered in Santa Maria, California, and is wholly owned by Randeep Grewal.[1]

In May 2011, the company changed its name from Greka Oil & Gas Inc. to HVI Cat Canyon Inc.[2]

In June 2019, the company filed bankruptcy after federal and state authorities, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), fined the company for oil spills.[3]

Greka focuses on petroleum extraction and asphalt processing in California, with holdings in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern, and Orange Counties. It is the largest onshore oil operator in Santa Barbara County.

In 2008, after several oil spills, the company was referred to by state and federal officials as "California's number one inland oil polluter".[4]

  1. ^ "Grewal Randeep S, et al. – 'SC 13D/A". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. ^ "United States and Two California State Agencies File Civil Lawsuit Against Greka Oil & Gas Inc. for Oil Spills in Santa Barbara County" (Press release). United States Department of Justice. June 17, 2011.
  3. ^ Randles, Jonathan (July 26, 2019). "Oil Producer HVI Cat Canyon Files for Bankruptcy After Spills". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference trouble was invoked but never defined (see the help page).