Refinery troubles could up gasoline prices

Gasoline price information

CHICAGO, Illinois — Refinery problems at BP’s Whiting, Indiana, refinery are likely to drive up retail gasoline prices 15-30 cents per gallon during the next week for motorists in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.

Over the weekend, BP’s refinery unexpectedly experienced issues with its largest crude distillation unit, capable of refining over half (210,000 barrels per day) of the total refinery’s oil capacity (410,000 barrels per day).

Almost immediately, market gasoline prices shot up on the concerns of reduced gasoline supply from the BP refinery, the seventh largest in the country and the largest in the Midwest.