BP restarts part of key oil refinery after repairs

BP says it has restarted a portion of a large Indiana oil refinery where an unplanned shutdown for repairs caused gasoline prices in the region to spike earlier this month.

BP issued a news release Tuesday saying it has safely restarted a large crude distillation unit at its refinery in Whiting, 15 miles southeast of Chicago, which had been shut down since Aug. 8 for unscheduled repair work. BP said the restart of the unit is increasing the refinery's fuel production, with output ramping up over time.

GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said gasoline prices in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and neighboring states served by the refinery could fall 20 cents to 50 cents a gallon over the next two weeks as long as no new problems develop.