MILWAUKEE – According to industry analysts, gas prices in and around Milwaukee have risen consistently over the last few weeks and months, with the potential to continue.
Patrick De Haan is the Head of Petroleum Analysis for Gas Buddy, a technology company that helps people find cheap gasoline. On Wisconsin’s Afternoon News, De Haan laid out the situation at the pump.
“A lot of this is due to a BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana that suffered a power loss…. Every day that goes by without the gas refinery, we’re missing out on about 10 million barrels of gasoline production, which has sent gas prices jumping,” he said.
De Haan estimated the plant to take another week to reopen, and noted that the average price for a gallon of gas in Milwaukee is up 25 cents per gallon since the middle of January. Prices are also up 10 cents per gallon since the first full week of February.
Even when the refinery along Lake Michigan gets back into working order, gas prices might stay up.
“We’re starting to get close to the spring, which is when we begin the change-over back to reformulated summer gasoline,” said De Haan. “Demand will start going up as well.”
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