June 14 (Reuters) - The discount on Western Canada
Select (WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) widened on Friday after reports
that a major U.S. refinery would soon go on turnaround:
* WCS for July delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at
$14.50 a barrel below the WTI, according to brokerage CalRock,
having settled at $13.80 a barrel under the benchmark on
Thursday.
* BP's 435,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana,
refinery plans to conduct a major turnaround in the coming
months, an industry source said on Thursday. Whiting is a major
consumer of Canadian heavy crude.
* WCS has been trending wider this month, with some traders
attributing the weakness to concerns the newly expanded Trans
Mountain pipeline will not be able to load as many tankers in
the Port of Vancouver as anticipated.
* Global oil prices settled slightly lower after a survey
showed deteriorating U.S. consumer sentiment, but prices rose 4%
for the week as investors weighed forecasts for solid demand for
crude oil and fuel in 2024.