U.S. Petroleum Product Exports Set Record High for Sixteenth Straight Year Amid Growing Crude Output: EIA

U.S. exports of petroleum products hit a new high last year, reaching an annual average of 5.6 million barrels per day, an increase of 366,000 from 2017, according to an April 23 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Distillate, propane, and motor gasoline together had the largest share of exports. The large volumes were made possible by record-high levels of U.S. crude oil production and refinery runs despite strong domestic demand, according to the agency.

• U.S. exports of distillate in 2018 set a record for the second time in a row, while motor gasoline and propane reached new highs last year.
• Of the 64 destinations that received U.S. distillate in 2018, Mexico accounted for the largest share representing 23 percent, followed by Brazil, which received 12 percent; Chile, Peru, and the Netherlands comprise the remainder of the top five recipients.
• Japan was the largest exporter of U.S. propane last year, receiving 7 percent of the total, while exports to China dropped by 49 percent compared to the prior year; exports to Korea and the Netherlands increased compared to 2017 levels, but Mexico’s propane exports saw a decline despite being the second-largest destination.
• U.S. exports of motor gasoline, including blending components, reached 44 destinations in 2018, hitting a new record, despite high levels of domestic gasoline consumption that averaged 9.3 million b/d in 2018, only slightly lower than the record set in 2017.
• Distillate exports contributed the most to annual growth from 2009-2013, however hydrocarbon gas liquids, which include propane, drove the growth from 2014-2018.