Investing in the Future

The BP Whiting Refinery, located just south of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan is the largest refinery in the Midwest and the 6th largest refinery in the United States. Operations began in 1889, prior to the advent of the automobile.

Today, BP is investing several billion dollars in our Midwest business to modernize our Whiting Refinery for the processing of heavier crudes. The modernization is essential to the long-term viability of the refinery, and includes well over a billion dollars in environmental improvements.

Whiting Upgrade

  • Environmental Improvements: the Modernization Project includes $1.4 billion in efforts to ensure environment health.
  • Gas Oil Hydrotreater: a modern hydrotreater will remove more sulfur and nitrogen from gas oil.
  • Sulfur Recovery Complex: the existing sulfur recovery capabilities are being enhanced to create a more efficient system that will remove more sulfur from our fuels product streams.
  • Petroleum Coker: a new state-of-the-art coker is being built to replace the existing one. The coker will enhance process safety through increased automation, increase coke and naphtha production.
  • Distillation Unit: the refinery’s largest crude distillation unit is being reconfigured to process heavier crudes, helping to replace some of the light sweet crude that is becoming more difficult to source. The modernization project will provide for greater energy security in the U.S. Midwest, as conventional supplies of the lighter crudes diminish, and are replaced by heavier crudes.

Asphalt Investment

BP Asphalt - AOS LogoThe asphalt business remains strategically important to BP. A key component of the Whiting Modernization Project lies in the creation of a new terminal in Chicago to serve as the primary distribution hub for BP Asphalt in the Midwest. With the new Calumet Terminal supplying our customers by rail, truck, and barge, BP continues to strengthen our long term commitment to the asphalt industry. This state-of-the-art asphalt facility is owned and operated by our partner Asphalt Operating Services of Chicago.

Key features of the Calumet Terminal

Truck
  • 4 gantries with on-scale loading
  • Load rate = 600 gallons/minute
  • Ability to handle Michigan trailers
Rail
  • 6 loading bays
  • Load rate = 600 gallons/minute
  • Internal switching by AOSC staff; external rail switching 7 days/week
Barges
  • Access to the Great Lakes and the Calumet River
  • Maximum vessel size = 475 feet