SPR release boosts US Atlantic coast refinery runs

摘要

US east coast refineries are returning to more typical seasonal run rates, just as more light sweet crude becomes avail- able from strategic storage (see above). Throughputs rose above 80pc of capacity in early July for the first time in 10 months (see graph). East coast runs have risen sharply since the US announced the release of more than 30mn bl of light sweet crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) under the IEA's stocks release pro- gramme (AGM, 4 July, p2). Two of the firms taking US SPR crude have refiner- ies on the east coast. Independent Sunoco owns the 175,000 b/d Marcus Hook, 330,000 b/d Philadelphia and 143,000 b/d Eagle Point refineries and is taking 1.4mn bl of SPR crude. And Cono- coPhillips owns the 250,000 b/d Bayway and 185,000 b/d Trainer refineries, and is taking 2.1mn bl of SPR crude.