据ICIS-MRC网站2月18日莫斯科报道，据烃加工网站信息显示，美国天然气价格飞涨促使一些中西部乙醇生产商在上周减少了加工，希望利用目前寒冷天气造成的高现货价格，出售部分天然气。
根据Refinitiv Eikon的数据显示，由于天气寒冷，Corn Belt的乙醇利润率大幅下降--至每加仑-3.92美元，是至少2010年以来的最低水平。天然气价格因电力需求而飙升，由于寒潮而达到多年来的最高水平。
在德克萨斯州二叠纪盆地的Waha枢纽，第上周第二天天然气价格上涨至每百万英国热量单位157.714美元。
巨高的价格迫使一些尚未购买全部所需天然气的乙醇生产商考虑是否减少加工以避免高价格。并迫使已购买天然气的其他人考虑是否降低生产率将其出售给现货市场。上周，一家乙醇生产商将其公司的运营率降低了25％以上，以出售其先前以合同价格购买的天然气。
他计算得出，在现货市场上，他用于生产乙醇的天然气的典型成本每天略高于3万美元。但价格的飙升意味着，如果他每天购买天然气，成本将达200万美元。 因此，这位生产商表示，他不得不试图出售他的天然气，在这个过程中削减乙醇的生产。
郝芬 译自 ICIS-MRC
原文如下:
Some U.S. ethanol producers reduce production to sell natural gas for a profit
Sky-high U.S. natural gas prices have prompted some Midwestern ethanol producers to reduce processing in the last week, hoping instead to sell off some of their natural gas to take advantage of current high spot prices caused by the spike in cold weather, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Ethanol margins in the Corn Belt have dropped sharply due to the frigid weather, falling to negative-USD3.92 a gallon, lowest since at least 2010, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. Natural gas prices have soared because of power needs, hitting their highest levels in years due to the cold snap.
At the Waha hub in the Permian basin in Texas, next-day gas prices rose last week to as high as USD157.714 per million British thermal units (mmBtu).
The astronomical prices forced some ethanol producers who have not yet purchased all their needed natural gas to consider whether to reduce processing to avoid the high prices. It has forced others who have their natural gas bought to consider whether to reduce production rates to sell into the spot market. One ethanol producer reduced his company’s run rate by more than 25% last week to sell natural gas that he earlier had bought at a contracted price.
He calculated that his typical cost for gas used to produce ethanol comes to just over $30,000 per day in the spot market. But the surge in prices means that cost would amount to $2 million if he were buying gas daily. As a result, this producer said, he had to try to sell off his natural gas, cutting ethanol production in the process.
