Midwest gas prices surge after outage at ExxonMobil's Joliet refinery

Troubles at a catalytic reformer in ExxonMobil’s Joliet, Illinois refinery triggered noticeable gasoline price hikes across five states in the Midwest. According to the American Automobile Association, regular-grade fuel rose about 17 cents per gallon in Michigan, 10 cents in Ohio, 8 cents in Indiana, 6 cents in Kentucky and 2.5 cents in Illinois from Wednesday to Thursday. Tom Kloza, chief energy advisor at Gulf Oil, said the issue stemmed from a 50,000-barrel-per-day unit that upgrades low-octane feedstock, and that wholesale prices in the region climbed another 25 cents per gallon later Thursday.

He noted that Michigan’s higher increase reflects the Wolverine Pipeline’s elevated wholesale rates, while a minor maintenance shutdown at Cenovus’s Ohio plant also contributed. ExxonMobil confirmed it is working to resolve the operational problem but gave no timeline. Kloza predicts the price spikes will not last and expects Great Lakes gasoline prices to decline before the end of the month.