PADD II

According to a new set of data released at the end of March by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), crude-by-rail (CBR) movements jumped from 20 Mb/d in January 2010 to almost 1 MMb/d by December 2014. The big increase in CBR shipments has coincided with a 71% increase in U.S. crude production and has successfully helped alleviate a number of pipeline transport constraints. While overall crude-by-rail volumes have grown in the past 5 years, favored origins and destinations have changed considerably as the midstream industry has successfully re-plumbed the pipeline network to handle new crude flows. Today we review the new EIA report data on rail.

Last winter a Midwest propane shortage of epic proportions caused prices at the Conway, KS trading hub to spike over $4/Gal in January 2014 (nearly twice the price of crude oil at the time). The shortage was caused by a perfect storm of events starting with high propane demand from farmers for crop drying in the late fall and ending with record retail and commercial heating demand during the Polar Vortex cold weather in January. The high demand was compounded by the partial closure of the Kinder Morgan Cochin pipeline supplying propane to the Midwest from Western Canada and a temporary shutdown of the Hess Tioga fractionation plant in North Dakota, not to mention booming Gulf Coast propane exports reducing domestic availability. This year the Midwest propane market appears to be much better supplied in spite of the loss of the Cochin pipeline that has now been reversed to carry diluent to Canada. Prices should therefore be less volatile than last year – unless Mother Nature throws another icy winter curve ball. Today we look Midwest propane prices and supply this year.