EIA: U.S. Crude Stocks Hit Nearly 2-Year High


   
Barani Krishnan
DTN Refined Fuels Market Reporter

   SECAUCUS, NJ (DTN) --- U.S. commercial crude oil stocks extended their rise 
during the week ended March 13 despite a more than 40% surge in exports, Energy 
Information Administration (EIA) data showed Wednesday (3/18).  Gasoline and 
distillate inventories fell for the same week and jet fuel balances rose.

   Crude stocks climbed by 6.2 million bbl to 449.3 million bbl during the 
reference week, the EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report showed, extending the 
increase from previous week. The latest level marks the highest crude inventory 
since the week ended June 7, 2024, when stocks stood at 459.7 million bbl, 
marking a nearly two-year high. Compared with the same week last year, crude 
stocks were up by 12.3 million bbl, or 2.8%. 

   Last week's crude stock rise was accompanied by a 1 million bbl build at the 
Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for NYMEX West Texas Intermediate futures.

   Distillate fuel oil inventories fell by 2.5 million bbl to 116.9 million bbl 
on a weekly basis while remaining 2.1 million bbl higher than in the same week 
last year. 

   Jet fuel stocks rose by 2.4 million bbl to 43.6 million bbl and were 400,000 
bbl higher than the same week previous year.

   Total motor gasoline inventories fell by 5.5 million bbl to 244 million bbl 
last week. Compared with the same week last year, gasoline stocks were 8.9 
million bbl higher. 

   Blending components for gasoline tumbled by 4.1 million bbl to 231.1 million 
bbl, and were higher by 4.8 million bbl year-over-year. Conventional gasoline 
stocks reported a weekly fall of 400,000 bbl to 14.3 million bbl.

   Refinery utilization rose to 91.4% last week from 90.8% of operable capacity 
reported the prior week, the EIA data showed.

   Crude oil inputs into refineries averaged 16.23 million bpd during the week 
ended March 13, up from 16.17 million bpd reported a week-ago and was above the 
15.66 million seen in the same week last year.

   Crude oil exports surged to 4.9 million bpd in the profiled week, up 1.47 
million bpd, or 43%, from the week before.

   During the profiled week, crude imports averaged 7.194 million bpd, a 
772,000-bpd increase from last week and higher than the 5.385 million bpd 
recorded in the same period of 2025.




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