(Updates throughout, adds comment from BP)
NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - BP Plc's Whiting,Indiana, refinery, whose partial closure nearly two weeks agohas roiled global oil markets, may restart a key crude oil unitweeks earlier than expected, according to sources and apublished report.
The plant may restart the 240,000-barrel-per-day (bpd)Pipestill 12, the largest crude oil unit at Whiting, as soon asthis weekend after it was able to make temporary repairs,industry publication Energy News Today reported. The unit shuton Aug. 8 after a leak in a heat exchanger, and early reportssuggested it could remain offline for one or two months.
The plant is able to temporarily repair equipment, so thatit would not have to wait for replacement parts to arrive, ENTsaid.
People familiar with the 413,500 bpd refinery also toldReuters that inspections had not revealed extensive damage tothe equipment, likely allowing the unit to resume operations inless than a month. One of the people said it was possible theplant could attempt to restart at the weekend.
A BP spokesperson declined to comment on restart plans.
The unexpected outage and threat of prolonged repairs senttremors through global oil markets, causing a spike in regionalgasoline pump rates, depressing Canadian cash crude prices andthreatening to add to a glut of oil expected to accumulate inCushing, Oklahoma, weighing on U.S. oil prices.
Talk that the plant might not be shut as long as fearedhelped narrow the Brent/WTI spread
Production at the plant has fallen to about 165,000 bpd withthe unit offline, according to people familiar with the plant. (Reporting By Jessica Resnick-Ault; Editing by Bernard Orr andJonathan Oatis)
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