US commercial crude oil inventories, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, decreased 5.4 million bbl for the week ended Aug. 25 compared with previous week, the US Energy Information Administration said.
At 457.8 million bbl total, crude oil inventories are in the middle of the average range for this time of year, EIA said in its Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Total motor gasoline inventories remained unchanged near the upper limit of the average range (OGJ Online, Aug. 23, 2017).
Finished gasoline inventories increased while blending components inventories. Distillate fuel inventories increased 700,000 bbl for the week ended Aug. 25, which EIA called the upper half of the average range for this time of year.
Propane-propylene inventories increased by 1.4 million bbl, but that level is in the lower half of the average range, EIA said.
US refinery inputs averaged more than 17.7 million b/d for the week ended Aug. 25, which was 264,000 b/d more than the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 96.6% of capacity.
Gasoline production increased, averaging 10.6 million b/d. Distillate fuel production decreased, averaging about 5.1 million b/d.
US crude oil imports averaged 7.9 million b/d, down by 885,000 b/d from the previous week. Over the last 4 weeks, crude oil imports averaged over 8.1 million b/d, 4.6% below the same 4-week period last year.
EIA’s latest statistics showed total motor gasoline imports, including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components, averaged 839,000 b/d and distillate fuel imports averaged 84,000 b/d.
