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US refiner margins to stabilize next year as plant closures cut supply, EIA states

U.S. refiner margins for gasoline and diesel will be reasonably the same next year, the U.S. Energy Details Administration said on Wednesday, indicating relief for fuel manufacturers who saw profits slump dramatically since 2022 on slowing demand development.

Refiners worldwide reaped record profits in 2021 and 2022 from the post-pandemic surge in travel need and recovering financial activity. Nevertheless, margins then dropped dramatically as mammoth brand-new plants opened around the world and need growth slowed, partly due to efforts to shift away from fossil fuels.

The prepared closures of 2 U.S. refineries next year - LyondellBasell Industries' 263,776 barrel-per-day Houston refinery and Phillips 66's 139,000-bpd Los Angeles refinery - will help stop the downturn in margins for plants that stay, the EIA said in its November Short-Term Energy Outlook.

The closures will decrease U.S. refining capacity to 17.94 million barrels per day by the end of next year, the most affordable considering that June 2022, according to EIA data. Capability had grown over the previous 2 years.

Higher need for gas and diesel in the United States will also help refiner margins improve next year, the agency said.

The 3-2-1 crack spread, a market metric used to examine refiners' margins on both fuel and diesel created, plunged to around $17 per barrel since Wednesday, down from $60. per barrel in June 2022 - the highest in LSEG records going back. to 2002 << CL321-1 = R >

. The EIA on Wednesday lifted its projection for this year's. U.S. gas intake to 8.94 million bpd, like last. year, compared to its earlier view that need will fall this. year to 8.91 million bpd.

The company likewise raised this year's need forecasts for. extract fuel oil, that includes diesel and heating oil, and. for jet fuel.

(source: Reuters)