Ethanol production down 1.6% from previous week

In Washington, D.C., ethanol production scaled back by 17,000 barrels per day (b/d), or 1.6%, to 1.066 million b/d—equivalent to 44.77 million gallons daily, according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association. The four-week average ethanol production rate ticked 0.1% higher to 1.071 million b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 16.42 billion gallons.

Ethanol stocks thinned to 21.0 million barrels. Inventories were 2.0% lower than last week and 9.2% lower than the year-ago level. Stocks declined in all regions except the Midwest (PADD 2). Gulf Coast (PADD 3) stocks are the lowest in ten months. There were zero imports of ethanol recorded for the third consecutive week. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of October 2019.)

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market during the holiday week decreased 3.7% to 8.961 million b/d (376.36 million gallons per day, or 137.37 bg annualized). Notably, the cumulative daily average of gasoline product supplied for the year was 0.3% higher than 2018. Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol narrowed for the week ending Dec. 27 by 5.8% to 884,000 b/d—equivalent to 13.55 bg annualized. Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production increased to 11.90%.