Washington
Located near Bellingham, Washington, bp’s Cherry Point is the largest refinery in the Pacific Northwest.
Fast facts
- Over the past decade, bp has invested more than $1.5 billion in capital improvements at its Cherry Point refinery.
- For a record-breaking fifth time, Cherry Point was awarded “Best Site in Industry” by Independent Projects Analysis, a benchmarking and research organization.
- bp serves hundreds of Washington communities with more than 140 ARCO-licensed and -branded gas stations and the franchise for around 128 ampm convenience stores.
bp’s Cherry Point refinery can process approximately 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day on average and is the largest supplier of jet fuel to the Seattle, Portland and Vancouver (BC) international airports. It was also the first Northwest refinery capable of co-processing renewable diesel made from biomass-based feedstocks.
bp recently completed three projects at Cherry Point that will help lower its carbon footprint. The Hydrocracker Improvement Project and the Cooling Water Infrastructure Project are reducing the refinery’s operational carbon dioxide emissions by 4%. As well, the Renewable Diesel Optimization project doubled its capability to produce renewable energy and is helping to cut the carbon intensity of the fuels it produces.
bp owns more than 3,200 acres of rural land at Cherry Point that is managed for a variety of uses, including ecological restoration, habitat preservation and enhancements.
Since 2008, Cherry Point has constructed over 456 acre sof wetland mitigation for four mitigation sites. Advance mitigation is compensatory mitigation, which is constructed before, and in anticipation of future impacts to wetlands. Advance mitigation takes a minimum of 10 years to fully mature. Cherry Point also owns one of the state’s largest mitigation sites which has improved the site’s biodiversity.
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 perform hands-on STEM demonstrations for attendees of the Whatcom YMCA and the Lummi Nation Boys & Girls Club.