United States base oil output declined more than 10% in January, compared to the same month last year, and was down 8% from January 2020, a U.S. government agency reported last week.
Refiners produced 4.6 million barrels in January, compared with 5.2 million barrels last January and 5 million in the same month of 2020, according to U.S. Energy Information Agency data. Sequentially, January’s volume was down 13% from 5.3 million barrels in December last year.
In terms of January production in past years, 4.6 million barrels was the lowest total since the same amount in January 2013.
Production of paraffinic base oils in the U.S. declined 11% to 3.9 million barrels in January and was also 8% less than in the same month in 2020. The January total was the lowest since 3.7 million barrels in March last year and marked the first time since then that paraffinic production had fallen below 4 million barrels.
The January paraffinic production of 3.9 million barrels was the lowest for the month since 3.7 million barrels in January 2013. Naphthenic base oil production declined 10% to 716,000 barrels in January and was 5% below the volume in the same month in 2020. However, this year’s January volume was up 8% from 665,000 barrels in December, which had the lowest monthly naphthenic production last year.