US Ethanol Inventory Falls

By DTN Staff

CRANBURY, N.J. (DTN) -- Domestic inventory of ethanol was drawn down 700,000 barrels (bbl) or 3.1% to 21.6 million bbl during the week ended Aug. 13, the Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday, Aug. 18, with stocks sitting 1.9 million bbl or 9.6% above a year ago.

The drawdown at the national level coincided with a 13,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) or 1.3% decline in output at U.S. ethanol plants to 973,000 bpd during the week reviewed, with the production rate 55,000 bpd or 6% above the comparable week a year ago. Midwest plant production slid 11,000 bpd or 1.2% to 921,000 bpd, 49,000 bpd or 5.6% above the year-ago output rate for the same week.

Blending activity eased as well for the week reviewed, with refiner and blender ethanol net inputs down 9,000 bpd or 1% to 921,000 bpd, while 60,000 bpd or 7% above a year ago. All regions saw a small decline in blending activity except the PADD 3 Gulf Coast, where net ethanol inputs edged 1,000 bpd higher to 152,000 bpd during the week ended Aug. 13.

Inventory changes were mixed among the PAD districts, with PADD 1 East Coast experiencing a 100,000 bbl or 1.4% stock build, placing inventory at 7 million bbl as of Aug. 13, 800,000 bbl or 12.9% more than a year ago. PADD 4 Rocky Mountain region stock levels were unchanged on the week and the year at 400,000 bbl.

PADD 2 Midwest ethanol stocks were drawn down 200,000 bbl or 2.4% to 8 million bbl, with inventory 1.3 million bbl or 19.4% above a year ago as of Aug. 13. PADD 3 Gulf Coast ethanol stocks ended the Aug. 13 week at 3.3 million bbl, down 500,000 bbl or 13.2% on the week and against the comparable week a year ago. PADD 5 ethanol stocks declined 200,000 bbl or 6.7% to 2.8 million bbl, 100,000 bbl or 3.7% less than the same week in 2020.

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