For a second straight week, US crude oil stockpiles decreased while gasoline inventories increased, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (OGJ Online, Sept. 27, 2017).
Commercial crude inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell 6 million bbl during the week ended Sept. 29 compared with the previous week’s total, EIA's Weekly Petroleum Status Report indicated. At 465 million bbl, US crude inventories are near the upper limit of the average range for this time of year.
Total motor gasoline inventories gained 1.6 million bbl last week and are in the upper half of the average range. Both finished gasoline inventories and blending components inventories increased.
Distillate fuel inventories dropped 2.6 million bbl and are in the lower half of the average range for this time of year, EIA reported.
Separate data from the American Petroleum Institute show US crude inventories dropped 4.1 million bbl during the week ended Sept. 29, while gasoline stockpiles rose 4.9 million bbl and distillate stocks lost 584,000 bbl.
EIA said US crude refinery inputs last week averaged 16 million b/d, down 145,000 b/d from the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 88.1% of their capacity.
Gasoline production remained virtually unchanged at 9.9 million b/d. Distillate fuel production increased to 4.9 million b/d.
US crude imports averaged 7.2 million b/d, down 213,000 b/d from the previous week’s average. Over the last 4 weeks, crude imports averaged 7.1 million b/d, down 10.7% from the same 4-week period last year.
Total motor gasoline imports, including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components, averaged 862,000 b/d. Distillate fuel imports averaged 72,000 b/d last week.
US crude production last week rose 14,000 b/d to 9.56 million b/d. The entire 14,000-b/d rise came from Alaska as the Lower 48 was flat from the previous week.
