U.S. Oil Refiners Look Abroad for Crude Supplies as North Dakota Boom Fades
by Jarrett Renshaw and Catherine Ngai (Reuters) … North Dakota’s Bakken production peaked at 1.153 million barrels per day in June, and had fallen to 1.13 million barrels per day by August, according to state data.
The supply restraint has made Bakken crude relatively more expensive after transport costs than oil shipped from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, prompting East Coast refiners to return to a foreign crude diet they derided as unprofitable five years ago.
Three companies that resuscitated failing oil refineries on the East Coast less than five years ago with the promise of cheap domestic oil are now looking overseas instead, four sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.
Together, PBF, Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc and Delta Airline’s Monroe Energy are expected to cut their Bakken crude intake to the lowest levels since 2013, according to two oil traders who are familiar with East Coast rail arrangements.
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Meanwhile, a glut of other crudes has made importing – including transport costs of $2 to $3 a barrel – much more attractive.
Because bringing crude by rail from North Dakota to an East Coast refinery usually costs about $10 to $11 a barrel, without a deep discount for the oil, moving it across the country becomes unprofitable. READ MORE and MORE (Advanced Biofuels USA) and MORE (Wall Street Journal)
