BP's Whiting Refinery Processing 270,000 bpd in Heavy Crude

BP's 405,000-barrel-per-day Whiting refinery reached a record heavy crude oil processing level of 270,000 bpd in the second quarter, the oil and gas company said on Tuesday.

The Indiana refinery could process as much as 300,000 bpd of heavy crude, BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley told reporters, without providing a specific timeframe.

"We believe it will have the capability of going up to around 300,000 barrels (per day) of production," Dudley said.

Heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands are heavily discounted to international oil prices, offering higher profits from products sold.

Reporting by Ron Bousso