The logo of British multinational oil and gas company BP is displayed at their booth during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023.
Severe thunderstorms on Monday night led to significant flooding in northwest Indiana, impacting the refinery’s operations. BP reported flaring activity as a safety measure to manage excess materials during the disruption. “Materials will continue to be burned in the flares as needed to maintain safe operations,” BP stated in a social media post on Wednesday. Response and operations teams have been on-site since Monday evening to address the situation.
The flooding caused temporary street closures and reports of odors in nearby communities, which BP has been working to resolve. “Our response efforts are progressing, and the situation is improving,” said Cesar Rodriguez, a BP spokesperson. The company has not provided a specific timeline for the restart but emphasized that safety remains the top priority for employees, contractors, and the surrounding community.
The Whiting refinery plays a critical role in supplying fuel to the Midwest, and disruptions often affect regional markets. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted in an email on Wednesday: “Gasoline and diesel will be impacted at the retail level.” He projected that fuel prices in the Great Lakes region could rise by 10 to 20 cents per gallon in the coming days, with Chicago-area consumers potentially facing increases of 15 to 30 cents per gallon due to the outage.
BP’s response includes detailed weather protection plans to manage such events, and crews continue to monitor conditions closely. The refinery’s gradual restart is expected to stabilize fuel supply chains, though short-term price fluctuations may persist as operations return to full capacity. The facility’s significance to the regional fuel market underscores the importance of its swift recovery.
