BP Plc was continuing assessments on Monday of production units at its 435,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana, refinery following a plant-wide power outage on Thursday, said people familiar with the matter.
BP was developing plans and schedules for restarting the refinery, the largest in the U.S. Midwest, once the evaluation of the refinery’s condition is complete, the sources said.
BP spokesperson Christina Audisho said the refinery is working toward a phased restart.
“BP has stood up a team to mitigate potential fuel supply disruptions for our customers in the Midwest,” Audisho said.
One focus of BP’s assessment is determining the cause of the power outage, which forced a complete evacuation of the refinery, except for essential operators who managed the shutdown of production units, the sources said.
The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper reported on Monday that Whiting city officials would meet with BP about the power outage, which forced BP to use its safety flare system to burn off hydrocarbons that could not be processed normally.
The flaring created large black plumes of smoke over the city and nearby communities, the newspaper said.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Tom Hogue)