US Ethanol Stocks Rise

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- Domestic ethanol inventories were higher for a second week, rising to a 10-week high amid another uptick in production during the week ended Nov. 6 while blending demand edged lower, according to data released by the Energy Information Administration on Thursday, Nov. 12.

At 20.159 million barrels (bbl), domestic ethanol supply rose 484,000 bbl in the week reviewed, down 3.8% from the same time in 2019.

EIA reported East Coast PADD 1 declined for the first time in three weeks, down more than 7% to 6.3 million bbl, while Midwest PADD 2 supply dropped 6.2% to 6.1 million bbl.

At the Gulf Coast PADD 3, stocks rose for the first time in four weeks, up 1.1 million bbl to 4.2 million bbl, and stocks along the West Coast in PADD 5 continued higher, up over 3% to 3.1 million bbl.

Ethanol plant production increased for a third week, up 16,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 1.7% to 977,000 bpd in the week ended Nov. 6, the highest output rate since the week ended March 20 but 5.1% lower than the corresponding week in 2019. Four-week average output slid 63,000 bpd against a year ago at 948,000 bpd.

Blending activity, a measure of demand, decreased a second week, down 2,000 bpd to 834,000 bpd in the week ended Nov. 6, 11.3% lower than the same week in 2019, data show. Blending activity during the four weeks ended Nov. 6 averaged 840,000 bpd, 90,000 bpd below the comparable year-ago period.

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