(Bloomberg) — US refiners’ operating capacity edged lower in 2024 as an uncertain outlook for gasoline and diesel prompted fuelmakers to pull back after a period of expansion. America’s refining fleet — the world’s largest — contracted by 43,000 barrels a day in 2024, shrinking to 18.3 million barrels a day of operating capacity, according to an Energy Information Administration report that gives a snapshot of the industry as of Jan. 1 each year. US refining capacity has swung between expansion and contraction over the past five years. The pandemic-driven drop in demand in 2020 ushered in a wave of US refinery closures that pulled nationwide capacity below 18 million barrels a day for the first time since 2014. Since then, ExxonMobil Corp., Valero Energy Corp, Marathon Petroleum and Citgo undertook major expansion projects that boosted capacity closer to pre-pandemic levels. Now, fuelmaking is once again in decline. Since January, LyondellBasell Industries NV’s 264,000 barrel-a-day Houston refinery permanently ceased operations, and Phillips 66 will close its 139,000 barrel-a-day Los Angeles plant at the end of this year. Valero is set to close its 145,000 barrel-a-day Benicia refinery in California’s Bay Area in early 2026, continuing a decades-long trend of smaller, logistically and financially challenged US refineries pulling the plug. Those two California refinery closures may push America’s fuel making capacity back to pandemic lows of around 17.8 million barrels a day. While smaller refineries have closed, mega plants on the Gulf Coast have boosted capacity, making less complex facilities uncompetitive. Motiva’s refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, grew to an operating capacity of 641,000 barrels a day in 2024, vaulting it over Marathon’s nearby 631,000-barrel Galveston Bay plant to become the largest in the nation, according to the EIA annual report. Saudi Aramco-owned Motiva continues to push capacity higher at its Texas plant, the only refinery it owns in the US, and processed as much as 651,000 barrels of oil a day in December. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. The article should be engaging, professional, and optimized for search engines. Follow these steps: 1. **Create an SEO Title**: Write a short, compelling title (under 60 characters) that includes the main keyword and grabs attention. 2. **Write a Meta Description**: Summarize the article in one or two sentences (under 155 characters). Make it engaging and include the primary keyword naturally. 3. **Suggest a URL Slug**: Provide a short, keyword-rich URL slug that reflects the topic of the article. 4. **Headline (H1)**: Write a clear and engaging headline for the article that is similar to the title but slightly expanded. 5. **Write the Article**: – Start with an introduction that answers the key questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. – Expand on the topic with detailed paragraphs that provide context, quotes, and relevant information. – Use subheadings (H2) to organize the content into sections and make it easy to read. – Include related keywords naturally throughout the article. – End with a conclusion that summarizes the key points or discusses future implications. 6. **Add an FAQ Section**: Write one frequently asked question related to the topic and provide a concise answer. Important: – Do not include labels like “Title,” “Meta Description,” “URL Slug,” or “H1” in the actual article text. – Keep all SEO elements separate from the main content. – Ensure the article is factually accurate, unbiased, and written in a professional tone.
The refining capacity in the United States is decreasing as the future demand for fuel remains uncertain.
