The Exxon Mobil refinery XOM, with a capacity of 251,800 barrels per day in Joliet, Illinois, began heating up its facilities this week, according to industry monitor IIR.
After a tornado hit Joliet in July, the plant lost power (link) and took most of its equipment offline.
Earlier this week, the plant began heating up the blocks, an important part of the restart process, according to IIR.
The refinery could resume operations sometime in mid-August, IIR said.
“Now that power is restored, we will continue to assess the condition of our facilities and work hard to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible,” an Exxon spokesman said.
Exxon did not say how long it would take to restart the refinery.
On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (link) issued a waiver to help alleviate gasoline shortages in states where the closure of the Joliet refinery has impacted gasoline supplies.
The refinery processes primarily Canadian crude oil and produces about 9 million gallons of gasoline and diesel daily, according to the company’s website.
