HOUSTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Valero Energy Corp hasmoved back the start date for planned fall work on thegasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at its180,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Memphis, Tennessee, dueto strong Midwest refining margins, sources familiar with plantoperations said on Thursday.
Gasoline prices have shot up in the Midwest due to aproduction cut that began earlier this month at BP Plc's Whiting, Indiana refinery. That move also lowered crude oilprices, widening refineries' potential profits.
Valero planned earlier this year to install a flue gascooler on the 65,000-bpd FCCU beginning in mid-October, thesources said.
The earliest the work can now begin is late October and therefinery is also weighing whether to do the work in earlyDecember or early 2016 as part of a planned overhaul that willinclude the smaller of two crude distillation units and otherunits at the refinery. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Paul Simao)
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