The US Energy Information Administration said that US refinery runs have improved from the lows in April 2020, when measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic began to ravage demand for gasoline, distillate fuel, and jet fuel. However, runs remained below the five-year average (2015–2019) due to the continued effects of the pandemic and seasonal factors. US refiners processed 14.0 million bpd of crude as of October 30, 13% below the average for this time of year, EIA said.
US refinery runs increased to 15.3 million bpd in mid-August but continued to hover around 14.0 million bpd since mid-September. The Gulf Coast, the US largest refining region, was hit by an active storm season this year. Most of US petroleum exports come from this area, making it more sensitive to a decline in global demand for petroleum fuels.
Refinery runs in the US East Coast have declined by the most compared to the five-year average. The region’s largest refinery Philadelphia Energy Solutions was closed in June 2019, contributing to the change in East Coast refining runs. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, refinery runs have remained above the previous five-year average since April. According to EIA, rising fuel demand from the agriculture sector during this fall’s harvest buoyed refinery runs in the region.
