The Latest COVID Refining Casualty
After a one-day selloff, energy prices have resumed their rally with WTI back north of the $40 mark, and refined products testing the top end of their recent trading ranges. Unlike earlier in the week, this move does not feel like it’s storm related, as Hurricane Delta’s path and intensity both made slightly favorable moves overnight. U.S. equities had their best day in three months Wednesday and are pointed higher again this morning, which seems to be carrying over to help energy contracts find a bid.
Delta’s path shifted further to the west in past 24 hours, moving the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area refineries further away from the expected landfall, but coming closer to the plants around Lake Charles and Pt Arthur. The current path has it making landfall Friday afternoon around 30 miles east of Lake Charles, which could be close to the best case scenario for refiners - if the area is going to be hit by a hurricane - as there will be no plants that will take a direct hit, or be within 100 miles of the more dangerous eastern side of the storm as it makes landfall. If the westward shifts continue however, the plants in Lake Charles that are just coming back online after Laura look like they’ll take another direct hit. As long as Pt Arthur and Houston stay on the western side of the storm, as they are currently, the odds of major pipeline disruptions to Colonial, Magellan and Explorer are low.
Another bit of good news is that the most recent projections estimate winds will top out at around 115 mph (Category 3) when yesterday, they were expected to be north of 130 (Category 4). We’ll see if those predictions hold true as it moves further over open water today.
The DOE’s weekly report didn’t do much to move prices Wednesday, as inventory changes were minimal, and demand estimates held steady. We should see more big moves next week as the industry prepares for Delta, and it’s likely we could see refinery runs dip even lower than we did then as we’re in the midst of fall maintenance. The EIA this morning detailed the impact on LNG exports from Hurricane Laura’s landfall, and with the paths so close, we should expect similar impacts from this storm.
The latest COVID refining casualty: Australia’s Ampol is planning on closing one of the country’s four refineries – in spite of government incentives to keep it operating for national security purposes - due to the ongoing demand destruction and subsequently weak margins.
A strike by Norwegian oil workers looks like it will move forward next week, which could take more than 300,000 barrels/day of production offline. That story has been getting credit for some of the strength in crude prices this week, but it may have little impact on total global supplies as Libya’s output has recently increased by nearly the exact same amount.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
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The Sell-Off Continues In Energy Markets, RBOB Gasoline Futures Are Now Down Nearly 13 Cents In The Past Two Days
The sell-off continues in energy markets. RBOB gasoline futures are now down nearly 13 cents in the past two days, and have fallen 16 cents from a week ago, leading to questions about whether or not we’ve seen the seasonal peak in gasoline prices. ULSD futures are also coming under heavy selling pressure, dropping 15 cents so far this week and are trading at their lowest level since January 3rd.
The drop on the weekly chart certainly takes away the upside momentum for gasoline that still favored a run at the $3 mark just a few days ago, but the longer term up-trend that helped propel a 90-cent increase since mid-December is still intact as long as prices stay above the $2.60 mark for the next week. If diesel prices break below $2.50 there’s a strong possibility that we see another 30 cent price drop in the next couple of weeks.
An unwind of long positions after Iran’s attack on Israel was swatted out of the sky without further escalation (so far anyway) and reports that Russia is resuming refinery runs, both seeming to be contributing factors to the sharp pullback in prices.
Along with the uncertainty about where the next attacks may or may not occur, and if they will have any meaningful impact on supply, come no shortage of rumors about potential SPR releases or how OPEC might respond to the crisis. The only thing that’s certain at this point, is that there’s much more spare capacity for both oil production and refining now than there was 2 years ago, which seems to be helping keep a lid on prices despite so much tension.
In addition, for those that remember the chaos in oil markets 50 years ago sparked by similar events in and around Israel, read this note from the NY Times on why things are different this time around.
The DOE’s weekly status report was largely ignored in the midst of the big sell-off Wednesday, with few noteworthy items in the report.
Diesel demand did see a strong recovery from last week’s throwaway figure that proves the vulnerability of the weekly estimates, particularly the week after a holiday, but that did nothing to slow the sell-off in ULSD futures.
Perhaps the biggest next of the week was that the agency made its seasonal changes to nameplate refining capacity as facilities emerged from their spring maintenance.
PADD 2 saw an increase of 36mb/day, and PADD 3 increased by 72mb/day, both of which set new records for regional capacity. PADD 5 meanwhile continued its slow-motion decline, losing another 30mb/day of capacity as California’s war of attrition against the industry continues. It’s worth noting that given the glacial pace of EIA reporting on the topic, we’re unlikely to see the impact of Rodeo’s conversion in the official numbers until next year.
Speaking of which, if you believe the PADD 5 diesel chart below that suggests the region is running out of the fuel, when in fact there’s an excess in most local markets, you haven’t been paying attention. Gasoline inventories on the West Coast however do appear consistent with reality as less refining output and a lack of resupply options both continue to create headaches for suppliers.
Week 15 - US DOE Inventory Recap
Prices To Lease Space On Colonial’s Main Gasoline Line Continue To Rally This Week
Energy markets are sliding lower again to start Wednesday’s trading as demand concerns and weaker stock markets around the world seem to be outweighing any supply concerns for the time being.
Rumors continue to swirl about an “imminent” response by Israel to Iran’s attacks, but so far, no news seems to be taken as good news in the hopes that further escalation can be avoided, even as tensions near the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz continue to simmer.
Prices to lease space on Colonial’s main gasoline line continue to rally this week, trading north of 11 cents/gallon as Gulf Coast producers still struggle to find outlets for their production, despite a healthy export market. Gulf Coast CBOB is trading at discounts of around 34 cents to futures, while Gulf Coast RBOB is trading around a 16-cent discount, which gives shippers room to pay up for the linespace and still deliver into the East Coast markets at a profit.
Back to reality, or just the start of more volatility? California CARBOB basis values have dropped back to “only” 40 cent premiums to RBOB futures this week, as multiple flaring events at California refineries don’t appear to have impacted supply. The state has been an island for fuel supplies for many years as its boutique grades prevent imports from neighboring states, and now add the conversion of the P66 Rodeo refinery to renewable diesel production and the pending changes to try and cap refinery profits, and it’s easier to understand why these markets are increasingly vulnerable to supply shocks and price spikes on gasoline.
RIN prices continue to fall this week, touching 44 cents/RIN for D4 and D6 values Tuesday, their lowest level in 6 weeks and just about a nickel above a 4-year low. While the sharp drop in RIN and LCFS values has caused several biodiesel and Renewable Diesel producers to either shut down or limit production, the growth in RIN generation continues thanks to projects like the Rodeo refinery conversion, making the supply in RINs still outpace the demand set by the Renewable Fuel Standard by a wide margin.
The API reported draws in refined products, 2.5 million barrels for gasoline and 427,000 barrels for distillates, while crude oil stocks had an estimated build of more than 4 million barrels. The DOE’s weekly report is due out at its normal time this morning.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.