The Rocky Mountain region (PADD 4), with a population that is both smaller and more spread out than other parts of the Lower 48, consumes only around 650 Mb/d of refined products — just one-fourth the volume of the next-smallest PADD. That limits the need for refinery capacity, which matches the region’s average annual consumption and is only outstripped in the summer months. Yet, the Shale Revolution has impacted the Rockies as much as any other region, boosting production in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) and Uinta basins, and the Montana portion of the Bakken. At the same time, the area has also seen increasing volumes coming in from PADD 2 and Canada. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at how PADD 4 dispenses these barrels and its role in balancing continental crude oil supply and demand.
Crude Oil
As the global crude oil market continuously evolves, so do the tools that traders, refiners and producers rely on to navigate its complexities. Among these tools, futures contracts play a pivotal role, allowing market participants to manage risk and ensure liquidity. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll explore what sets apart two major futures contracts for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, focusing on the differences in location, connectivity and quality — and how those distinctions define their roles in the market.
The U.S. crude oil market has undergone a drastic shift since the Shale Revolution. After a quarter-century of declining production and increasing dependence on imported oil, the U.S. has become the world’s leading producer. This transformation turned the U.S. into a major exporter and a critical supplier to the international market and also led to an evolution in crude oil trading. In today’s RBN blog, the first in a series, we’ll explore the history of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures contracts.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) inventories have been climbing for more than a year, but they could go much higher if President Trump has his way, as one of his major campaign promises was to refill the SPR “to the very top,” a goal he has repeated since his return to the Oval Office. Current inventories sit just below 400 MMbbl, leaving the SPR about 320 MMbbl shy of maximum capacity. But the refilling process may not be as straightforward as one might think, as three of the four SPR storage sites have experienced construction upgrades in the last year — which means things could go slower than anticipated. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the challenges of filling up the SPR and detail four scenarios for how the process might play out.
Edgewater Midstream, a relatively new player in the refined products storage and delivery space, acquired a pair of potentially valuable assets from Shell in the Deer Park, TX, area in December. It now owns the Colex terminal, the starting point of the all-important Colonial Pipeline system, and the Sinco products pipe network, which could offer another pathway to Desert Southwest markets served by a dwindling number of California refineries. In today’s RBN blog, we will examine Edgewater’s new assets and the market opportunities they may open up.
PADD 3 has it all — crude oil production from the prolific Permian Basin, a string of refineries along the Gulf Coast, and a fair bit of refined product consumption. Its importance in crude oil production and refining has allowed it to play a central role in the nation’s crude oil supply-and-demand balance. This is especially true regarding crude oil exports, as it’s responsible for virtually all of the U.S. total that can top 4 MMb/d. Because of this, PADD 3 has a significant and growing influence in balancing domestic and international markets for crude oil and refined products. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at how the Shale Revolution has transformed the Gulf Coast and how its connectedness with international markets has reaffirmed its dominant position.
In the race to build the next deepwater crude oil export terminal in the Gulf of Mexico, Sentinel Midstream’s proposed Texas GulfLink (TGL) has become one of the frontrunners. TGL’s plan gained its crucial Record of Decision (ROD) Approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on February 14, but there is still some distance to go before a final investment decision (FID) is reached. In today’s RBN blog we’ll discuss Sentinel’s TGL plan, why it might be uniquely positioned to move forward, and the other contenders still in play.
Wells operated by a half-dozen E&Ps in eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale are now churning out more than 100 Mb/d of superlight crude oil — aka condensate — more than twice as much as they were just three years ago, and there’s talk that condensate production in the play’s “volatile oil window” could increase significantly over the next few years. This surge in condensate output raises three relevant questions: (1) how is the condensate being transported to market, (2) where is it headed and (3) what is it being used for? In today’s RBN blog, we continue our series on Utica condensate with a look at the approaches used to transport the commodity to refineries and others in the Midwest and points beyond.
Suriname has been a very minor crude oil producer over the past few decades, with minimal output from its onshore reserves. But with more than a dozen offshore blocks already awarded for development and production set to spike in the coming years, the small South American nation looks primed to follow in the footsteps of its next-door neighbor, Guyana, which is amid an oil-production boom. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at the status of Suriname’s offshore developments, the major players involved, and what we know about the crude grades to be produced there.
Offshore platforms facilitate Gulf of Mexico (GOM) production, but when their useful life is over they are typically decommissioned and dismantled to be sold as scrap or converted into an artificial reef. Not always, though. In certain cases, inactive rigs can be refurbished and used in new projects — a potentially inviting possibility, especially with GOM production expected to rise and drillers under pressure to keep costs down. In today’s RBN blog, we will examine the challenges (and potential benefits) of reusing an inactive platform and look at plans by LLOG Exploration to refurbish an existing facility for its upcoming Salamanca development, the first such project in a decade.
As crude oil production surges off the coast of Guyana, its eastern neighbor, Suriname, has set off on its own mission to become a global oil supplier. With some onshore production active for decades, the tiny South American nation now has its sights set on developing its vast offshore reserves. While there have been some setbacks, its international partners are getting their plans back on track. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll take a deep dive into what’s ahead for Suriname.
Tariffs have served as a cornerstone of President Trump’s economic vision. In the campaign, he said he could impose tariffs as high as 25% on all imported goods from Canada — including crude oil — and he could deliver on that promise at any time. This has raised concerns, especially for Canadian producers and U.S. refiners, who depend on the efficient and economical movement of barrels between the trading partners. In today’s RBN blog, we look at how much Canadian crude oil flows to the U.S., how those imports could be affected by tariffs, and how Canadian producers and U.S. refiners would share the financial impact.
PADD 1 — the East Coast — represents about 31% of total U.S. consumption of refined products (and 37% of its population) but is home to just 5% of U.S. refinery capacity. With only minimal in-region crude oil production, PADD 1 refineries are almost entirely dependent on imported and domestic inflows of both crude oil and products like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. In the early years of the Shale Era, large volumes of domestic crude were railed or barged to these refineries, but in recent years they’ve again become largely reliant on imports from OPEC, Canada and other foreign sources. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look into PADD 1’s changing crude oil and refined products supply and demand balance.
Condensate production in the Utica Shale’s volatile oil window in eastern Ohio has more than doubled over the past three years, and plans by the handful of E&Ps that focus on the super-light crude oil suggest that output will increase further this year and next. Who are these producers, why do they see such promise for condensate growth in the Utica, and how are they measuring their success? In today’s RBN blog, we continue examining rising condensate production in eastern Ohio with a look at the leading E&Ps in this space.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times last year, brightening the prospects for continued economic growth and increases in energy demand, and additional rate cuts could be coming in 2025. But what do lower borrowing costs really mean for E&Ps, midstream companies, refiners and others in the energy industry? In today’s RBN blog, we will examine the impact of lower interest rates on energy companies and whether they might affect plans to boost output and build new infrastructure.