Ethanol production drops 6.1% in second largest weekly downturn since stats reported

September 28, 2019 |

In Washington, D.C., according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending Sept. 20, ethanol production swung sharply lower, dropping 61,000 b/d or 6.1% (the second-largest weekly downturn since statistics have been reported) to 943,000 barrels per day (b/d)—equivalent to 39.61 million gallons daily. This represents the smallest production rate since April 2016, with output 9.0% below year-ago volumes and 5.3% below the same week two years ago. The four-week average ethanol production rate slowed 2.3% to a 24-week low of 996,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 15.27 billion gallons.

Ethanol stocks scaled back 3.2% to 22.5 million barrels. Stocks fell across all PADDs except the Gulf Coast (PADD 3).

Imports of ethanol into the West Coast were a near-record 113,000 b/d, or 33.22 million gallons for the week—equivalent to more than 10% of the total ethanol supplied for the week. This was the fourth time in five weeks that ethanol was imported. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of July 2019.)

The volume of gasoline supplied rebounded from the prior week’s slump, increasing 4.6% to 9.346 million b/d (392.5 million gallons per day, or 143.27 bg annualized). Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol rose 3.3% to 935,000 b/d, equivalent to 14.33 bg annualized. Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production shrank to a two-year low of 10.09%.

Category: Fuels

Thank you for visting the Digest.