Whiting Refinery

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The Whiting Refinery is a large oil refinery on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. It is owned by BP and operated by BP Products North America. Most of the 1,400-acre complex sits in Whiting, with parts reaching into Hammond and East Chicago. It began in 1889 as Standard Oil of Indiana and is the eighth largest refinery in the United States, with a capacity of about 450,000 barrels per day. About 1,800 people work there.

In 2012, BP spent about $14 billion to modernize the plant, replacing old equipment and adding advanced pollution controls that cut emissions by more than 4,000 tons per year. Upgrades included a Gas Oil Hydrotreater, a Coker with a reconfigured distillation unit, and Pipestill 12 to handle heavier crude from Western Canadian Select.

In August 2015, the 12-Pipe Still—the refinery’s key unit capable of processing up to 240,000 barrels per day—was shut down because of holes found in piping. This disruption affected regional markets and crude pricing.

In August 2022, a fire led to another shutdown of the refinery.

Environmental and legal history: In 2001, under the EPA’s Petroleum Refinery Initiative, BP pledged to reduce emissions at its refineries, and Whiting cut regulated air emissions by about 72% from 2001 to 2008. However, BP later faced penalties for construction-related violations, including an $8 million fine by the EPA and the Department of Justice for issues such as flaring. In 2012, a settlement involving Marathon Petroleum addressed similar pollution controls. In 2021, BP reached a settlement over soot pollution, agreeing to stricter monitoring and paying $500,000.