US Ethanol Inventory Down 3.1%

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- Ethanol inventory in the United States dropped 3.1% in the week through Feb. 24 as ethanol blender inputs, a measure of demand, continued to seesaw, increasing 2.2% on the week, while production dropped after two weekly gains, the Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday.

Total domestic ethanol production slid 26,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 2.5% last week to 1.003 million bpd, 0.6% higher than the same week in 2022.

In the Midwest PADD 2, ethanol production fell for the first time in three weeks, down 26,000 bpd or 2.6% to 958,000 bpd. Output in the week profiled was 1.8% more than a year earlier.

Data show ethanol blending activity in the U.S. nearly erased the prior week's loss, up 19,000 bpd through Feb. 24 to 873,000 bpd, 0.3% below than the corresponding week in 2022. The four-week average blender inputs were 855,000 bpd, 5,000 bpd more than last year.

Blender inputs at the East Coast rose 6,000 bpd week-over-week while inputs at the Midwest and Gulf Coast each increased 4,000 bpd and at the West Coast climbed 6,000 bpd.

EIA reports that overall domestic ethanol inventory fell 813,000 barrels (bbl) to 24.775 million bbl, 0.4% below this time in 2022.

East Coast supply continued lower a third week, falling 60,000 bbl to a four-week low 7.914 million bbl while stocks in the Midwest eased 27,000 bbl to 10.003 million bbl.

At the Gulf Coast, ethanol inventory slid 824,000 bbl to a three-week low 3.954 million bbl and West Coast supply added about 100,000 bbl to a four-week high 2.516 million bbl.

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