The BP Whiting refinery experienced an operational issue Thursday due to a power outage which caused workers to be evacuated and roads to be shut down.

There was a flaring of excess gasses to relieve pressure on the system according to Lake County Officials.

 

The Lake County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency posted the following statement on their Facebook page:

“The BP Whiting refinery has experienced an operational issue due to a power outage at the plant and is flaring excess gasses to relieve pressure on the system. Atmospheric readings are being taken around the plant and are indicating no danger to the public. We will keep you informed if the situation changes.”

 

The City of Whiting gave the following updates throughout the day on Thursday:

2/1/2024 6:44PM

We have received the following update from the command center at BP:

By 10:00PM CST tonight (2/1/2024) BP Officials are expecting power to be restored to the plant completely. The units are in the process of cooling down. The units will be started up gradually beginning 2/2/2024 in the morning hours. There is an established process for bringing the units up on a controlled basis that will be followed.

All roads are expected to be re-open by 10:00PM CST 2/1/2024.

There was continual monitoring of air quality at multiple points around the refinery by BP and Lake County Hazmat since the incident occurred. The testing has shown that there was no danger to the public as a result of today’s incident.

===================

2/1/2024 4:07PM:

The City has received the following update from BP:

The BP Plant evacuation has been lifted. Roads remain closed until further notice.

===================

From the Lake County ALERT System:

2/1/2024 3:48PM: The BP Whiting refinery has experienced an operational issue due to a power outage at the plant and is flaring excess gasses to relieve pressure on the system. Atmospheric readings are being taken around the plant and are indicating no danger to the public. We will keep you informed if the situation changes.

===================

The City has been made aware that additional roads surrounding BP will be closed to ensure safety during the plant shutdown and evacuation. Please continue to use alternate routes that do not border the refinery to travel in and out of the city.

===================

BP has notified the City of Whiting that they are in the process of safely shutting down the refinery after a suspected power outage. BP has activated their emergency response team and evacuated refinery office buildings out of an abundance of caution. Local fire departments are assisting with the evacuation by closing nearby roads. The safety of refinery staff and the community are our highest priority for the Whiting BP Refinery.

===================

The City of Whiting has been notified of a power outage at the BP Whiting Refinery property which has affected power to the Refinery. As a result of this power outage, additional product is being burned which will cause additional flaring of the stacks. This flaring is a safety release to burn off the extra product and is a normal process during an event. BP is working to resolve the power outage as quickly as possible.

Out of an abundance of caution, BP has evacuated the employees from the Glass House located on Indianapolis Boulevard and 129th Street. No further evacuation is required.

We have also been notified that Indianapolis Boulevard from 129th to Schrage will be closed to all traffic. Please use Calumet Avenue to travel North or South. We will notify you as soon as the street has been reopened. Please check back here for updates.

IDEM is on site.

We will keep you updated of any new developments as we obtain them.

Please share this information with friends and family.