(Adds BP no comment, other CDUs operating.)
HOUSTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - BP Plc was preparing onFriday to restart a 90,000 barrel per day (bpd) crudedistillation unit at its 413,500 bpd refinery in Whiting,Indiana, said sources familiar with operations at the plant.
The unit was knocked out of production on Thursday night dueto extremely cold weather, the sources said. The U.S. NationalWeather Service said wind chills were between 20 and 30 degreesbelow zero Fahrenheit (minus 29 and 34 Celsius) through thismorning along the shore of Lake Michigan, where the refinery islocated.
Energy industry intelligence service Genscape Inc reportedthe unit's shutdown on Friday morning.
A BP spokesman declined on Friday afternoon to discussoperations at the refinery.
The other two CDUs at the refinery continued to operate, thesources said. Genscape had said a 70,000 CDU was also shut atthe refinery.
The CDUs perform the initial refining crude oil coming intothe refinery and produce feedstock for all other productionunits. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by James Dalgleish)
BP (BP.)