BP's Whiting refinery returns to normal operations after October fire

By Nicole Jao

NEW YORK (Reuters) -BP's 440,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana, has returned to normal operations following a planned maintenance turnaround in September and a fire in October, two sources said.

The largest refinery in the U.S. Midwest returned to normal operations early this week, the sources said.

A BP spokesperson declined on Wednesday to comment on day-to-day operations.

In October, a fire ignited after an operational incident at the refinery. Multiple units, including the fluid catalytic cracker, were taken offline due to the blaze.

A week later, an outage caused by a disruption to electrical service that occurred outside of the facility prompted a temporary evacuation at the plant. The refinery resumed operations after power was restored.

The refinery had started its planned maintenance on its units, including the fluid catalytic cracker, in mid-September. The turnaround was expected to last for two months.

The refinery produces a wide range of liquid fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

(Reporting by Nicole Jao in New YorkEditing by Rod Nickel)