Washington
Located in the Pacific Northwest, bp’s Cherry Point Refinery helps meet the increasing energy demand from consumers across Washington state and beyond, by providing cleaner fuels with a reduced carbon footprint
Fast facts
- Over the past decade, bp has invested more than $1.5 billion in capital improvements at its Cherry Point Refinery.
- Cherry Point can process approximately 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day on average — that’s enough to fuel 31,000 round-way road trips from Seattle to New York City.
- Cherry Point is the first bp refinery to be accredited through the company’s Advancing Low Carbon program, thanks to its production of certain lower-carbon fuels.
Located in Blaine, Washington, bp’s Cherry Point Refinery is the first and only refinery in the Pacific Northwest capable of manufacturing diesel made from biomass-based feedstocks, which are processed alongside conventional feedstocks in an existing ultra-low-sulfur diesel unit.
This process supports compliance with government programs that require supply of low-carbon and renewable fuels to the marketplace.
Renewable diesel has the same properties as conventional ultra-low- sulfur diesel, but a lower carbon footprint.
“As the world demands more energy, it also demands that it be produced and delivered in new and cleaner ways,” says Refinery Manager Bob Allendorfer. “At Cherry Point, we are embracingthe latest technologies to make cleaner transportation fuels in safer, more sustainable and efficient ways.”
In 2019, the refinery completed a 22-month modernization project to help reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. The improvements contribute to more efficient operations for a refinery that supplies a broad range of fuels, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and other specialty products.
- Cherry Point is the largest supplier of jet fuel to the Seattle, Portland and Vancouver (B.C.) international airports.
- The refinery is also a significant supplier of anode-grade calcined coke, which it sells to aluminum smelters across the globe.
Surrounded by mountains, forest, wetland and shoreline habitats, Cherry Point devotes considerable resources to help preserve the natural environment.
For example, bp owns more than 2,500 acres of rural land at Cherry Point that is managed for a variety of uses, including ecological restoration, habitat preservation and enhancements.
bp also provided resources for the development of the bp Heron Center at Birch Bay State Park, supporting environmental education programming for more than 2,500 students, community members and park visitors each year.
Cherry Point has been a cornerstone of the local community since it first opened in 1971. In addition to its environmental work, the refinery invests in the next generation of energy and technology workers by supporting local schools and education initiatives.
Through the bp STEM Ambassador program, Cherry Point employees deliver hands-on demonstrations in classrooms, supporting Girl Scout merit badges for engineering and robotics, and facilitating workshops at Western Washington University.
