By Gitte Laasby, Post-Tribune staff writer
WHITING -- BP's
planned Canadian crude expansion project won't go through unless it can find a
way to reduce ammonia and suspended solids in the refinery's wastewater -- which
the company hasn't been able to find.
Its deadline for a decision is mid-2008, the refinery manager said
Friday.
"If we don't think we can meet the promise, we won't do the project," Whiting
refinery manager Dan Sajkowski told the Post-Tribune.
"We did promise holding levels of ammonia and (suspended solids) at the same
level. That commitment was made before we knew (what we were dealing with). We
frankly still don't know how to do that."
The statement came at a meeting at the refinery Friday, where Sajkowski
briefed local business managers and elected officials about the company's new
air permit application.
BP America President Bob Malone pledged Aug. 23 that the refinery would stay
below old wastewater permit levels once the expansion is complete in 2011 rather
than increasing discharges of ammonia by 54 percent and suspended solids by 35
percent.
That's what the new permit allows.
Since then, BP's own engineers -- locally and worldwide -- and two consulted
contractors have researched technology, but still not come up with a solution,
Sajkowski said.
A group of researchers from the Purdue Water Institute have
reviewed reduction technologies and solutions with Argonne National Laboratory
for a couple of months.
Purdue Calumet spokesman Wes Lukoshus said Thursday that the task force plans
to update the public on its progress before the end of the year.
"We wouldn't be allowed to invest if you didn't meet that promise," Sajkowski
said.
"If the uncertainty gets too big, that's a tougher sell to a board," he
said.
The new permit is only valid for five years and would be up for renewal in
2012, a year after the expansion is due to be complete.
"Then you're right back in the same debate," Sajkowski said.
On the other hand, some countries are politically too unstable for BP to
consider investing there instead, he said.
BP is not considering going back on its promise, he said, but remains "very
hopeful" a solution can be found.
The Whiting expansion also faces another challenge.
While design and engineering work continues, BP's corporate board has not yet
officially approved the $3.8 billion project.
That doesn't usually happen until the design is finished and permits are in
place.
The air permit should be done by mid next year, and Whiting representatives
plan to seek final board approval somewhere in that period or just after.