bp delays Whiting refinery (U.S.) restart from maintenance
bp has delayed the restart of a crude distillation unit and a coker at its 435,000-bpd Whiting, Indiana, refinery from maintenance, boosting fuel prices in the Chicago market.
bp, which started the planned turnaround at the largest refinery in the U.S. Midwest in late September, began restarting units involved in the turnaround in early November. The restart had been scheduled for mid-November.
A source said at least two of the units -the 250,000-bpd sour crude distillation unit and the 102,000-bpd coker unit - experienced issues during the restart process. The units are expected to be back online this week, the source added.
Traders told Reuters that they had to find other sources of gasoline and diesel in the past few days.
Chicago-market CBOB gasoline CBOB-DIFF-MC traded half a cent per gallon below futures benchmark on the New York Mercantile Exchange RBc1 on Tuesday, traders said, compared with a 14-cent discount in the previous session.
Chicago ultra-low sulfur diesel ULSD-DIFF-MC traded at a four-cent discount to futures HOc1, compared with a 15-cent discount previously.
It had issued an alert on Monday about flaring at the Whiting refinery. "Flares are an essential safety device that helps the refinery safely manage excess gases during periods of maintenance or operational disruptions," the company said in a statement.
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