Ethanol production up 1.5% from previous week

In Washington, D.C., ethanol production expanded 1.5%, or 15,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 937,000 b/d—equivalent to 39.35 million gallons daily, according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association. The four-week average ethanol production rate increased 0.3% to 912,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 13.98 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks grew 1.7% to 20.0 million barrels, which was 9.3% below year-ago volumes. Inventories increased in the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) and West Coast (PADD 5) but declined across the other regions.

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, retreated by 3.6% to 8.58 million b/d (131.47 bg annualized). Gasoline demand remained 8.3% lower than a year ago.

Conversely, refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol jumped 5.0% to 864,000 b/d, equivalent to 13.25 bg annualized. This was 8.3% below the year-earlier level as a result of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Imports of ethanol arriving into the West Coast were 25,000 b/d, or 7.35 million gallons for the week. This marks the ninth time in twelve weeks that imports were reported. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of August 2020.)