Switch to ethanol accentuates supply woes in East

摘要

From Virginia to Massachusetts, supply problems are sprouting with the spring as refiners struggle to convert storage systems to ethanol in readiness for the May phase-out of MTBE. Bearing the brunt of it all are marketers. Confronted with dry racks, they're forced to seek supply from terminals up to 100 miles away, and some have had no choice but to leave dealer tanks empty. The normal supply squeeze that comes with the switch from winter high-RVP fuel to summer low-RVP blends is being accentuated as refiners race the clock to get ethanol tankage and logistics in place.