Petroleum product exports set record

Total petroleum product exports averaged a record of 5.2 million barrels per day in 2017. Photo: iStock.com/Im Yeongsik.

U.S. refinery runs have been at record-high levels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The increase in refinery output of petroleum products has outpaced the increase in U.S. consumption of petroleum products such as distillate fuel oil, gasoline and propane, leading to an increase in exports. Total petroleum product exports averaged a record of 5.2 million barrels per day in 2017. Distillate and gasoline exports have increased, particularly to countries in the Western Hemisphere. Propane exports have also increased, much of it being sent to Asian markets.

Petroleum products such as gasoline, distillate fuel, propane and other fuels make up the largest share (54 percent) of U.S. energy exports.