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HOUSTON, July 1 (Reuters) - BP Plc said onMonday it completed the commissioning and startup of a new250,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude distillation unit at its413,000 bpd Whiting, Indiana, refinery.
The CDU is the centerpiece of a $4-billion upgrade of therefinery to increase its intake of cheaper Canadian crude oil to350,000 bpd from 80,000 bpd.
The upgrade of units at the Whiting refinery is part of BP'sstrategy to shift production to refineries in the northernUnited States with easy access to crude oil from Canada's tarsands field in Alberta. BP completed the sale earlier this yearof refineries in Texas and California.
"The Whiting refinery project is at the heart of our U.S.fuels strategy to operate sophisticated, feedstock-advantagedrefineries tied to strong logistics and fuels markets," saidIain Conn, BP's chief executive of refining and marketing in astatement.
"This world class refinery is in the right location and willsoon be running the right equipment to process growing suppliesof North American crude oil, including oil from Canada," Connsaid
BP plans to bring a new 105,000 bpd gasoil hydrotreater, alarge 102,000 bpd coker and other associated units on line atthe Whiting refinery in the second half of this year, thecompany said in a statement.
BP also said the overhaul of the Whiting refinery is 95percent complete. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick andMarguerita Choy)
