Ethanol Production Falls

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- Domestic ethanol plant production backed off a better-than-six-month high and blending demand dropped nearly 6% in the final week of December while inventory was drawn down, Energy Information Administration data released Friday, Jan. 3, showed.

Data show U.S. ethanol supply fell for a third straight week, down 435,000 barrels (bbl) in the week-ended Dec. 27 to 21.034 million bbl, a four-week low and 9.5% below year-end 2018.

Ethanol supply in PADD 1 East Coast were drawn down 409,000 bbl to 7.104 million bbl, 2.9% lower than a year earlier while PADD 2 Midwest inventories rose for a second week, up 340,000 bbl to an 18-week high at 7.612 million bbl. Data show PADD 2 ethanol supply at a 6.2% year-over-year supply deficit.

PADD 3 Gulf Coast ethanol supply fell for a third week, down 194,000 bbl to 3.602 million bbl in the week ended Dec. 27, 21.7% lower than the same week in 2018. PADD 5 West Coast ethanol supply dropped 156,000 bbl to 2.725 million bbl during the week reviewed.

Plant operators scaled back production 17,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.066 million bpd, which was 5.4% more than the same week year prior. For the four weeks ended Dec. 27, output averaged 1.071 million bpd versus 1.036 million bpd in the same four weeks of 2018.

Refiner and blender net inputs averaged 884,000 bpd during the week reviewed, a drop of 54,000 bpd on the week while 16,000 bpd higher versus a year ago. During the four weeks ended Dec. 27, blending activity averaged 898,000 bpd, down 11,000 bpd against year ago.

(BM/AG)

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