August 31, 2020 [Oil & Gas 360] – U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) decreased by 4.7 million barrels from the previous week. At 507.8 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 15% above the five year average for this time of year, according to the EIA crude oil and petroleum weekly storage data, reporting inventories as of August 21, 2020.

Summary of weekly petroleum data for the week ending August 21, 2020

U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 14.7 million barrels per day during the week ending August 21, 2020, which was 225,000 thousand barrels per day more than the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 82.0% of their operable capacity last week.

• Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.5 million barrels per day.
• Distillate fuel production increased last week, averaging 5.1 million barrels per day.

Imports

U.S. crude oil imports averaged 5.9 million barrels per day last week increased by 185,000 barrels per day from the previous week. Over the past four weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 5.8 million barrels per day, 16.9% less than the same four-week period last year.

Total motor gasoline imports (including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components) last week averaged 539,000 barrels per day, and distillate fuel imports averaged 129, 000 barrels per day.

Products inventories

• Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 4.6 million barrels last week and are about 5% above the five year average for this time of year.
• Finished gasoline and blending components inventories both decreased last week.
• Distillate fuel inventories increased by 1.4 million barrels last week and are about 24% above the five year average for this time of year.
• Propane/propylene inventories increased by 1.5 million barrels last week and are about 9% above the five year average for this time of year.
• Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased last week by 7.8  million barrels last week.

Products supplied

Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 18.5 million barrels per day, down by 14.6% from the same period last year. Over the past four weeks:

• Motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.8 million barrels per day, down by 9.8% from the same period last year.
• Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.7 million barrels per day over the past four weeks, down by 5.0% from the same period last year.
• Jet fuel product supplied was down 45.7% compared with the same four-week period last year.

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