據油價網2023年2月3日報道，在去年獲得創(chuàng)紀錄的利用率之后，美國煉油商表示，由于開始煉油設施維修旺季，今年第一季煉油產能利用率預計將下降。

路透社指出，在2022年的大部分時間里，美國最大的煉油商的煉油產能利用率超過90%，今年第一季度的煉油產能利用率低于90%，分析師預計美國煉油商2023年初煉油產能利用率將在85%至89%之間。  

業(yè)內分析師對路透社表示，今年第一季度的煉油廠維修計劃將影響過去5年來的最高煉油產能水平。  

美國最大的煉油商馬拉松石油公司日前在2022年收益電話會議上表示，今年第一季度原油日加工量約為250萬桶，產能利用率為88%。馬拉松石油公司預計第一季度的煉油產能利用率將比去年同期下降。由于受到其位于美國墨西哥灣沿岸資產的煉油廠扭虧為盈的影響，馬拉松石油公司2022年和第四季度的煉油產能利用率分別為96%和94%。

美國老牌跨國能源企業(yè)菲利普斯66表示，去年第四季度煉油廠年利用率為91%，但預計2023年第一季度煉油產能利用率將在80%左右。

菲利普斯66總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官Mark Lashier在日前舉行的財報電話會議上表示：“我們將重點放在第一季度的煉油產能復蘇上?！?/p>

美國能源信息署在其最新一期的每周石油狀況報告中稱，在截至1月27日的一周里，美國煉油廠的開工率為85.7%，低于去年同期的87.7%。

美國煉油商計劃在今年早些時候延長維修周期，此前他們已經放棄或只在煉油廠進行了幾個季度的基本維護。首先，是疫情阻止了工人被派往煉油廠進行維護。然后是需求反彈——尤其是在2022年——在此期間，煉油廠以接近其產能的速度運行，以滿足消費。因此，今年的美國煉油廠維護季節(jié)預計會更長，涉及美國各地更多的煉油廠，這將暫時壓低煉油廠運營能力，并可能推高燃料價格。

李峻 編譯自 油價網

原文如下：

U.S. Refiners To Scale Back Capacity Utilization After Record 2022

Following record utilization last year, U.S. refiners expect to have lower capacity operating in the first quarter of this year, due to a heavy maintenance season.  

After operating at over 90% for most of 2022, the largest U.S. refiners now see their first-quarter utilization below 90%, and analysts expect refinery capacity utilization to be between 85% and 89% at the beginning of 2023, Reuters notes.

The planned maintenance in the first quarter will affect the highest level of refining capacity in five years, analysts told Reuters.

Marathon Petroleum, the biggest U.S. refiner, said on its 2022 earnings call this week that it sees its first-quarter crude throughput volumes at around 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd), which would be 88% capacity utilization. Marathon Petroleum expects lower utilization in the first quarter compared to

96% in 2022 and 94% in the fourth quarter, due to the impact of refinery turnaround in its U.S. Gulf Coast assets.

Phillips 66, for its part, said that crude utilization was 91% in the fourth quarter, but it expects Q1 2023 capacity utilization to be in the mid-80%.

“We are heavy centric first quarter on our turnaround,” Phillips 66 president and CEO Mark Lashier said on the earnings call this week. 

In the week to January 27, U.S. refineries operated at 85.7% of their operable capacity, down from 87.7% in the same week last year, the Energy Information Administration said in its latest weekly petroleum status report.

Refiners plan longer maintenance periods early this year after foregoing or doing just basic maintenance at refineries for a few seasons. First, it was COVID that prevented workers from being sent to refineries for maintenance. Then it was the rebound in demand – especially in 2022 – during which refineries ran at near capacity to meet consumption. So this refinery maintenance season is expected to be longer and to involve a higher number of refineries across the U.S., temporarily driving operational capacity lower and potentially fuel prices higher.