BP Whiting power outage spawns fire, evacuations. What to know in Indiana refinery shutdown

Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·3 min read
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The BP Whiting oil refinery in Whiting, Ind. caught the attention of locals on Feb. 1 when flames began shooting out the stacks due to a power outage, according to the City of Whiting.

Local response teams acted quickly in response and appear to have the situation under control.

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Here's what you need to know about the BP Whiting refinery's power outage and fiery stacks:

Did BP Whiting's oil refinery in Indiana suffer a power outage Feb. 1, 2024?

Yes. The BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., suffered a power outage on Feb. 1, according to the City of Whiting.

BP began safely shutting down the refinery after the suspected power outage, and activated their emergency response team.

What happened at the BP Whiting refinery in Indiana?

According to Gas Buddy head of petroleoum analysis Patrick De Haan, sources revealed a transformer failed at the facilty, which led to flaring of the stacks and a shutdown at the BP refinery.

The restart process was expected to begin at 6 a.m. Friday morning.

Was there a fire or explosion at the BP Whiting Indiana oil refinery?

According to the release, additional product was burned off due to the power outage causing additional flaring of fiery flames from the stacks. This is a safety release and is a normal process during an event.

Flaring excess gasses helps to relieve pressure on the system. However, there were no explosions at the facility.

Was BP Whiting Indiana oil refinery evacuated?

Yes. Employees were evacuated from the Glass House at Indianapolis Boulevard and 129th Street in Whiting, Ind., out of abundance of caution, according to the release.

Local fire departments assisted with the evacuation by closing nearby roads on Indianapolis Boulevard from 129th to Schrage. Motorists were forced to use Calumet Avenue to travel north or south.

All road were expected to be reopened by 10 p.m. Thursday evening.

When will power be restored at BP Whiting refinery in Indiana?

The release states the BP refinery will use an establsihed process to restart the facility in the early morning hours on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Power is expected to be fully restored to the plant a few hours later.

Did BP Whiting Indiana's power outage affect air quality?

According to the release, there are currently no indications of air quality dangers to the public after continual monitored atmospheric readings at multiple points around the BP Whiting plant by the company and Lake County Hazmat.

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Will BP Whiting Indiana power outage shutdown affect gas prices?

Yes, but the impact isn't expected to be severe, according to Gas Buddy head of petroleoum analysis Patrick De Haan.

BP Whiting Indiana 2024 air permit renewal open to public

The BP oil refinery's Title V air permit is up for renewal at a public meeting hosted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 8, 2024, at East Chicago Central High School's Auditorium, 1100 W. Columbus Dr., East Chicago, Ind.

Chris Sims is a digital producer for Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: BP Whiting refinery fire: What you need to know