{"article":{"annotation":{"article_id":"us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026","available_at":"2026-10-25T15:35:58.124460Z","geography_revision":"ef6ee0010dda5fe7b240fd514749b43e214c57da73222d2e40ec83b276dd0977","id":"cd1fe36b99908395e0452ad83e878a4a475d9620610775b4ba47ee6b49159a7b","input_sha256":"cd4355fe23bcc934cf6c713a1bd5d5134f2048aee9e7faae0f9705bf4f445e97","limitations":["Rule-derived subjects are candidates, not verified editorial labels or calibrated model probabilities.","Coverage is distinct from event location. Unknown country/city/coordinates remain absent; no automatic geocoding.","Article geometries keep their stated precision and methodology; reproducing them is not independent coordinate verification."],"method":"controlled-rules-v1","places":[{"admin1":null,"city":null,"coordinate_note":null,"coordinate_reference_system":"OGC:CRS84","coordinate_source":null,"country":"US","evidence":[{"field":"country","language":"en","note":"Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferred","source_urls":["https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68344","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_m.htm","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?f=w&n=pet&s=wpuleus3"]}],"geometry":null,"id":"iso3166-1:US","kind":"country-or-area","labels":{"ar":"الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية","en":"United States of America","es":"Estados Unidos de América","fr":"États-Unis d’Amérique"},"match_status":"candidate","precision":"regional","role":"coverage","uncertainty_m":null}],"rules_sha256":"fb5ad3c27c91cb840f7a0a05f7f64a5cb26ad0374409ff9457f277c7092e22b4","schema_version":1,"subjects":[{"concept_id":"medtop:20001243","confidence":null,"confidence_method":null,"evidence":[{"field":"en.title+en.summary","language":"en","note":"Subject suggested from the title or summary: refinery","source_urls":["https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68344","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_m.htm","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?f=w&n=pet&s=wpuleus3"]}],"method":"controlled-rules-v1","rule_id":"oil-gas","status":"candidate"}],"taxonomy_revision":"1f2db31d811fca07e99b16d402c10e2cc2965c9df1c7b41d9be348b40a24e7fb","taxonomy_version":"IPTC Media Topics 2026-Q2"},"api_url":"https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026?lang=en","category":"energy","content":{"key_points":[],"paragraphs":["U.S. refineries operated at unusually high rates between May and September 2026, with utilization averaging more than 95% of capacity, the highest for those months since 1998, the Energy Information Administration said on October 22. The agency linked the stronger operating pace to tight global supplies of refined products, particularly distillate fuel oil, which supported margins and export demand for U.S. diesel.","The seasonal comparison matters. EIA says U.S. utilization has averaged 92% from May to September since 1991, compared with 88% across the other seven months of the year. Refineries normally run harder before and during the summer driving season to supply gasoline. Because the same facilities also produce distillate fuels, the high summer runs generally build distillate inventories ahead of autumn maintenance and the winter heating and transport demand period.","Despite the highest seasonal utilization since 1998, total refinery output was only at its highest level since 2019. EIA attributes part of the difference to capacity: U.S. refining capacity has fallen 4% since 2019. The figures therefore describe a more intensively used, smaller fleet rather than a return to the earlier level of installed capacity. The agency also reported that utilization in the first three weeks of October eased from the summer peak but remained above the 2021–2025 seasonal average.","EIA based the analysis on its Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Utilization is refinery inputs measured against operable capacity, not a direct measure of finished fuel sales or exports. The release identifies tight distillate supply and stronger international demand as drivers, but it does not quantify the contribution of each factor to the utilization rate. The agency’s comparison is limited to the periods stated; it does not establish that high utilization will persist through the maintenance season or winter.","The utilization record needs to be read alongside the size of the refinery system. EIA says output was at its highest since 2019, while utilization for May–September was at its highest since 1998; the different benchmarks reflect the 4% reduction in capacity since 2019. Its weekly data show utilization easing from late-summer peaks during October’s first three weeks, though remaining above the 2021–25 seasonal average. The analysis does not forecast a winter continuation, and it does not break down the contribution of export demand, supply tightness or maintenance to each weekly movement."],"sections":[]},"corrections":[],"country":"US","data":{"blocks":[{"description":{"en":"May–September utilization and historical capacity context reported by EIA.","tr":"EIA'nın bildirdiği mayıs-eylül kapasite kullanımı ve tarihsel kapasite bağlamı."},"id":"us-refinery-utilization-2026","items":[{"basis":"observed","label":{"en":"Average refinery utilization, May–September 2026","tr":"Mayıs-Eylül 2026 ortalama rafineri kapasite kullanımı"},"measure":{"aggregation":"rate","frequency":"irregular","geography":"united-states","id":"refinery-utilization","periodRole":"reference-period","unitCode":"percent"},"period":"2026-09","periodStart":"2026-05","unit":"percent","value":95,"valueQualifier":"lower-bound"},{"basis":"observed","label":{"en":"Capacity decline since 2019","tr":"2019'dan bu yana kapasite düşüşü"},"measure":{"aggregation":"change","frequency":"irregular","geography":"united-states","id":"refinery-capacity-change","periodRole":"reference-period","unitCode":"percent"},"period":"2026","periodStart":"2019","unit":"percent","value":4}],"methodology":{"en":"EIA analysis of Weekly Petroleum Status Report data; the five-month average is compared with the same months in prior years and with the average for other months. Background context from separate dated official filings or agency pages is identified in the article and is not presented as part of the new announcement.","tr":"EIA'nın Haftalık Petrol Durumu Raporu verilerine dayalı analizi; beş aylık ortalama önceki yılların aynı ayları ve diğer ayların ortalamasıyla karşılaştırılır. Ayrı tarihlerde yayımlanmış resmî bildirim veya kurum sayfalarından gelen arka plan yazıda ayrıca belirtilir; yeni duyurunun parçası gibi sunulmaz."},"sourceUrls":["https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68344","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_m.htm","https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?f=w&n=pet&s=wpuleus3"],"title":{"en":"U.S. refinery utilization","tr":"ABD rafineri kapasite kullanımı"},"type":"metrics","updatedAt":"2026-10-25T15:32:43Z"}],"version":1},"data_downloads":[{"formats":{"csv":"https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026/data/us-refinery-utilization-2026?lang=en&format=csv","json":"https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026/data/us-refinery-utilization-2026?lang=en&format=json"},"id":"us-refinery-utilization-2026"}],"data_types":["metrics"],"editorial_illustration":{"alt":"Conceptual illustration of electricity generation, storage and connected data.","asset_id":"newsverum-v1-energy","avif_variants":[{"height":320,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-480.avif","width":480},{"height":480,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-720.avif","width":720},{"height":640,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-960.avif","width":960},{"height":800,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1200.avif","width":1200},{"height":1024,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.avif","width":1536}],"credit":"Newsverum","documentary":false,"height":1024,"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","language":"en","scope":"topic","url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.webp","variants":[{"height":320,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-480.webp","width":480},{"height":640,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-960.webp","width":960},{"height":1024,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.webp","width":1536}],"width":1536},"event_id":"event-b11b1d80-f2b9-5c49-a09c-4416e14e5f8b","event_period":"2026-09","event_period_basis":"event-or-reference-period","id":"us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026","image":null,"importance":0.6,"language":"en","modified_at":"2026-10-25T15:35:21+00:00","publication_basis":"publication-record","published_at":"2026-10-25T15:35:21+00:00","reading_minutes":3,"region":"world","section_illustration":{"alt":"Conceptual illustration of electricity generation, storage and connected data.","asset_id":"newsverum-v1-energy","avif_variants":[{"height":320,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-480.avif","width":480},{"height":480,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-720.avif","width":720},{"height":640,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-960.avif","width":960},{"height":800,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1200.avif","width":1200},{"height":1024,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.avif","width":1536}],"credit":"Newsverum","documentary":false,"height":1024,"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","language":"en","scope":"section","url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.webp","variants":[{"height":320,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-480.webp","width":480},{"height":640,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-960.webp","width":960},{"height":1024,"url":"https://newsverum.com/assets/newsverum/illustrations/v1/energy-1536.webp","width":1536}],"width":1536},"slug":"us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026","sources":[{"checkedAt":"2026-10-25","name":"U.S. Energy Information Administration","publishedAt":"2026-10-22","url":"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=68344"},{"checkedAt":"2026-10-25","name":"U.S. Energy Information Administration","publishedAt":"2026-09-30","url":"https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_m.htm"},{"checkedAt":"2026-10-25","name":"U.S. Energy Information Administration","url":"https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?f=w&n=pet&s=wpuleus3"}],"summary":"EIA says utilization averaged above 95% in May through September, while total refinery output reached its highest level since 2019.","text":"EIA says utilization averaged above 95% in May through September, while total refinery output reached its highest level since 2019.\n\nU.S. refineries operated at unusually high rates between May and September 2026, with utilization averaging more than 95% of capacity, the highest for those months since 1998, the Energy Information Administration said on October 22. The agency linked the stronger operating pace to tight global supplies of refined products, particularly distillate fuel oil, which supported margins and export demand for U.S. diesel.\n\nThe seasonal comparison matters. EIA says U.S. utilization has averaged 92% from May to September since 1991, compared with 88% across the other seven months of the year. Refineries normally run harder before and during the summer driving season to supply gasoline. Because the same facilities also produce distillate fuels, the high summer runs generally build distillate inventories ahead of autumn maintenance and the winter heating and transport demand period.\n\nDespite the highest seasonal utilization since 1998, total refinery output was only at its highest level since 2019. EIA attributes part of the difference to capacity: U.S. refining capacity has fallen 4% since 2019. The figures therefore describe a more intensively used, smaller fleet rather than a return to the earlier level of installed capacity. The agency also reported that utilization in the first three weeks of October eased from the summer peak but remained above the 2021–2025 seasonal average.\n\nEIA based the analysis on its Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Utilization is refinery inputs measured against operable capacity, not a direct measure of finished fuel sales or exports. The release identifies tight distillate supply and stronger international demand as drivers, but it does not quantify the contribution of each factor to the utilization rate. The agency’s comparison is limited to the periods stated; it does not establish that high utilization will persist through the maintenance season or winter.\n\nThe utilization record needs to be read alongside the size of the refinery system. EIA says output was at its highest since 2019, while utilization for May–September was at its highest since 1998; the different benchmarks reflect the 4% reduction in capacity since 2019. Its weekly data show utilization easing from late-summer peaks during October’s first three weeks, though remaining above the 2021–25 seasonal average. The analysis does not forecast a winter continuation, and it does not break down the contribution of export demand, supply tightness or maintenance to each weekly movement.","title":"U.S. refinery use reached its highest May–September level since 1998","topics":[],"translations":[{"api_url":"https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026?lang=tr","language":"tr","url":"https://newsverum.com/tr/news/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026"},{"api_url":"https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026?lang=en","language":"en","url":"https://newsverum.com/en/news/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026"}],"url":"https://newsverum.com/en/news/us-refinery-runs-high-may-september-2026"},"version":"1"}