Cherry Point Refinery

{{Short description|Oil refinery in Blaine, Washington, United States}}

{{Infobox oil refinery

| name = Cherry Point Refinery

| image =

| image alt =

| caption =

| relief = 1

| location_map = Washington#USA

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| coordinates = {{coord|48.885|N|122.738|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

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| country = United States

| province =

| city = Blaine, Washington

| operator =

| owner = BP (2002–present)
ARCO (1971–2002)

| founded = {{start date and age|1971}}

| closure =

| capacity bbl/d = 225000

| employees =

| ref units =

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The Cherry Point Refinery is an oil refinery near Bellingham, Washington, north of Seattle in the United States. Owned by BP, is the largest refinery in Washington state (and was the 30th largest in the U.S. in 2015). It is located about {{convert|7|mi|spell=in}} south of Blaine and {{convert|8|mi|spell=in}} northwest of Ferndale,{{cite web |url= http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/industrial/oil_bp.html |title= WA Industrial BP Cherry Point Refinery Page |publisher= Washington State Department of Ecology |access-date= June 23, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612040815/http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/industrial/oil_bp.html |archive-date= June 12, 2011 |url-status= dead }} a few miles south of the Canada–US border, on the Strait of Georgia between Birch Bay and Lummi Bay.

Completed in 1971, its design and construction was overseen by George W. Glade, CEO and President of Parsons Constructors, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ralph M. Parsons Company. It is the fourth largest refinery on the West Coast, and one of the last major oil refineries built in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=oil_refining|title=Refining Crude Oil - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration|website=www.eia.gov}} The Cherry Point refinery supplies about 20% of the gasoline in Washington state.{{cite news |title=Following North Slope Crude: From the ground to the gas station |author=Zaz Hollander |url=http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-Business-Monthly/May-2012/Following-North-Slope-Crude-From-the-ground-to-the-gas-station/?utm |work=Alaska Business Monthly |date=May 2012 |access-date=June 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515005026/http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-Business-Monthly/May-2012/Following-North-Slope-Crude-From-the-ground-to-the-gas-station/?utm |archive-date=May 15, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|title=BP Cherry Point refinery back in operation |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2018326050_apwabprefinery.html |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Seattle Times |date=May 31, 2012 |access-date=June 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728162141/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2018326050_apwabprefinery.html |archive-date=July 28, 2013 }}

Originally an Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) facility, the refinery became a BP operation {{Years or months ago|2002}} in January 2002, following BP's April 2000 purchase of ARCO.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imakenews.com/dhaugh/e_article000046173.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511180642/http://www.imakenews.com/dhaugh/e_article000046173.cfm|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2004|title=The Oilspot: Arco Realigns with BP|date=May 11, 2004}} The refinery was initially planned to be built closer to Seattle, at Kayak Point, northwest of Everett, but Atlantic Richfield abandoned those plans in October 1968 and built the facility at {{nowrap|Cherry Point.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FmlYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5542%2C4009353 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Plant to be built near Bellingham |date=October 29, 1968 |page=27}}}}

When first operational, Cherry Point had a capacity of about {{convert|100000|oilbbl|m3}}; it currently processes over {{convert|225000|oilbbl|m3}} of petroleum (crude oil) per day, with 90% becoming gasoline, diesel or jet fuel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9011146&contentId=7020846|title=BP Fact Sheet}} It covers about {{convert|3300|acre|sqmi km2}}.{{cite web |url= http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/A/abp_wwd_us_cherry_point_fact_sheet_june_2011.pdf |title= Cherry Point Refinery, Facility Fact Sheet |publisher= BP |access-date= June 23, 2011}}

Most of Cherry Point's crude oil is from the Alaska North Slope. It is brought in by petroleum tankers via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Rosario Strait and delivered directly to the refinery via the facility's tanker pier near a minor headland called Cherry Point, on the Strait of Georgia.{{cite book|last=Scherer|first=Migael|title=A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands: Olympia to Port Angeles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDGbLROMn-AC&pg=PT202|access-date=June 23, 2011|date=December 16, 2004|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-142039-6|page=202}}{{cite gnis|1503940|Cherry Point}} The refinery received the first oil through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, transported aboard the ARCO Juneau, in early {{nowrap|August 1977.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1a1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=6909%2C169514 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=wire services |title=Tanker casts off with load of oil |date=August 2, 1977 |page=3A}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2K1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=5742%2C953012

|work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=UPI |title=First Alaskan tanker nears Washington port |date=August 5, 1977 |page=3A}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2a1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=5306%2C1204324 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=AP |title=Oil reaches goal in Washington state |date=August 6, 1977 |page=9A}}}}

The remainder of the crude comes from a pipeline connected to reserves in Western Canada. In January 2014 the refinery finished construction of a rail facility to import Bakken crude from North Dakota.{{cite news |title=BP taking next steps on rail project for crude oil |author=John Stark |date=November 30, 2012 |work=Bellingham Herald |url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/11/30/2786221/bp-taking-next-steps-on-rail-project.html#storylink=cpy |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407185114/http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/11/30/2786221/bp-taking-next-steps-on-rail-project.html%23storylink=cpy |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |access-date=March 1, 2013 }}

The gasoline and diesel are primarily shipped to filling stations in Washington and Oregon via the Olympic Pipeline and over-the-road fuel trucks. Jet fuel from Cherry Point Refinery accounts for 85% of the fuel used by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9011146&contentId=7019949|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222830/http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9011146&contentId=7019949|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2007|title=About the refinery|date=September 26, 2007}} Significant quantities of calcined coke are also produced and shipped to the nearby ALCOA aluminium smelter.

A fire in February 2012 caused the plant to be shut down for several weeks.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/CherryPointRefineryFire/CherryPointRefineryFire.html |title=Cherry Point Refinery Fire |access-date=April 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122093519/http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/CherryPointRefineryFire/CherryPointRefineryFire.html |archive-date=January 22, 2015 |url-status=dead }}