BP Plc is continuing the phased restart of its 435,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana refinery, a company spokesperson said on Thursday night.
“BP continues its phased restart of the Whiting refinery and is committed to mitigating potential fuel supply disruptions for our customers in the Midwest as we ramp up to normal operations,” said BP spokesperson Christina Audisho in an emailed statement.
People familiar with BP’s plans told Reuters on Wednesday the Whiting refinery, the largest in the U.S. Midwest, would begin restarting next week and reach full production in March.
The refinery was shut by a Feb. 1 plantwide power outage that sent plumes of black smoke over Whiting and neighboring communities southeast of Chicago from the plant’s safety flare system.
Retail gasoline prices in Chicago have climbed 20 cents a gallon since the outage.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba Editing by Mark Potter)