U.S. crude oil production forecast to decline until mid-2021 before returning to current levels (11/12/2020)

In the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) November Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), U.S. crude oil production generally declines through the first half of 2021 and increases in the second half of the year. EIA expects that declining legacy well production will offset production from new wells in the first half of 2021, resulting in U.S. crude oil production declines. As more new wells come online later in 2021 (supported by forecast year-over-year crude oil price increases), forecast new well production reaches levels that exceed the legacy well declines, resulting in increasing crude oil production (Figure 1). ... More »

U.S. refinery runs remain lower than the five-year average in most regions (11/4/2020)

Gross inputs to U.S. refineries, also referred to as refinery runs, have been lower than the five-year (2015-19) average since April, when responses to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reduced demand for refined products such as gasoline, distillate fuel, and jet fuel. Since the end of August, the continued effects of the pandemic in the United States and in crucial destinations for U.S. petroleum exports in Europe and Latin America, in addition to seasonal factors, have resulted in continued lower refinery runs. The sustained lower runs throughout 2020 combined with relatively low crack spreads—an approximate indication of the profitability of refining based on the relative values of gasoline, distillate, and crude oil—have resulted in several announced refinery closures in the United States and abroad. ... More »