Ethanol Stocks Continue to Fall

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- Energy Information Administration data show domestic ethanol inventories dropped a fifth straight week as of April 23, falling to a 25-week low with draws in the Midwest, East and Gulf Coast demand centers.

Federal data show total ethanol inventories dropped 711,000 barrels (bbl) to 19.736 million bbl, the lowest level since the last week of October 2020.

Midwest PADD 2 ethanol inventories totaled 6.433 million bbl as of April 23, down 222,000 bbl and a sixth straight weekly draw. Stocks are at the lowest level since the week ended Nov. 13, 2020, at 6.279 million bbl.

EIA reported East Coast PADD 1 stocks fell a second week, down 301,000 bbl to a 21-week low 6.823 million bbl, while Gulf Coast PADD 3 stocks dropped 230,000 bbl to 4.131 million bbl and West Coast PADD 5 supply added 48,000 bbl to 2.011 million bbl.

Overall ethanol plant production gained 4,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 945,000 bpd, while four-week average output was at 955,000 bpd.

Agency data show PADD 2 ethanol plant production gained for the first time in three weeks, up 5,000 bpd to 897,000 bpd, still more than 30,000 bpd lower than the first week of the month.

Blending activity, a measure of demand, backed off a pre-pandemic high, down 1.1% to 880,000 bpd last week, EIA reported. Blending activity during the four weeks ended April 16 averaged 885,000 bpd, 356,000 bpd above the comparable year-ago period.

Midwest PADD 2 blending continued lower, down 2,000 bpd on the week while, at the Gulf Coast, demand fell 4,000 bpd. For the four weeks ended April 23, EIA reports PADD 2 blending activity at 237,000 bpd, while PADD 3 activity was 151,000 bpd.

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