Export Regulations

The recent end to U.S. crude export prohibitions opens up a number of coastal infrastructure development opportunities. One of the best placed assets is Louisiana’s Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) – the largest U.S. waterborne crude receipt terminal. LOOP could become a Gulf Coast crude blending and trading hub if its infrastructure is upgraded to facilitate exports. Today we look at the existing LOOP operation and future opportunities for exports.

Two years ago production of super light crude known as condensate in the South Texas Eagle Ford was surging. Most Gulf Coast refineries did not want to process this light material and it was discounted to regular crude. The discounts led to a number of project announcements to build stand-alone condensate splitters – a kind of simple refinery that would process it into refined products. During 2014 these projects were cast into doubt by the easing of condensate export restrictions that appeared to offer a less expensive solution to the condensate challenge. More recently the possibily of declining production could also threaten splitter economics. But splitters are still being built and coming online this year and next – with two new projects announced recently.  Today we review current splitter projects in the light of market developments.

A couple of years ago in December 2012 we posted a blog in our Oh-Ho-Ho It’s Magic series covering the bigger Gulf Coast crude oil supply picture. At the time we wanted to provide a summary view of all the changing crude flows happening at the Gulf Coast. Back then the Seaway Phase 2 and TransCanada Cushing Marketlink pipelines from Cushing to the Gulf Coast had not opened up and there was over 50 MMBbl of crude stuck in Cushing inventory. Things are a lot different today.  Today we break down the crude balance for the Gulf Coast - PADD (Petroleum Administration Defense District) III region since the start of 2011.