据彭博社8月1日报道，历史最高水平的夏季高温迫使炼油厂减少运营，与此同时，燃料供应短缺导致全球汽油价格飙升。
澳大利亚麦格理集团（Macquarie Group）的全球石油和天然气策略师Vikas Dwivedi表示，空前的六月和七月高温使得全球至少有2%的石油加工减产，因为持续的高温对运营造成威胁。
过去的高温天气与设备维护延期有关，今年出现了异常多的炼油厂故障，而燃料库存已经很低。这在一定程度上推动了美国汽油价格升至去年11月以来的最高水平。预计八月份的高温预报可能会使美国汽油生产商无法在夏季驾车季的最后一段时间全力运转，令人对油价的缓解感到失望。
美国的炼油厂正在努力恢复至6月初95.8%的产能利用率。根据彭博社编制的数据，自5月份以来，至少有四处油气基础设施报告了火灾，而另外七家则因停电和非计划维修而停产。“在高环境温度下，冷却装置的能力可能成为一个限制因素。”Dwivedi在一份报告中表示。
冷却能力问题也困扰着欧洲的炼油厂，它们正努力处理来自沙特阿拉伯等国的轻质原油供应削减后的影响。法国的炼油企业道达尔能源和意大利的燃料制造商Saras SPA最近也在抱怨高温的抑制影响。“炼油厂不喜欢炎热的天气。”道达尔能源的首席执行官潘彦磊在一次盈利电话会议上说道。
欧洲制造业的持续萎缩也导致欧洲的炼油厂保持了产能平稳。
根据麦格理的数据，7月份全球燃料生产商每天加工了8250万桶原油，低于之前估计的8400万桶。Dwivedi表示，由于亚洲和中东的新工厂正在逐步投产，炼油厂可能会在8月或9月初实现产能目标。但是在夏季最后几周试图增加燃料生产的这最后一搏可能会被即将到来的秋季停驶季戛然而止。
胡耀东 译自 钻井地带
原文如下：
High Temperatures Leading to Fuel Supply Cuts across the Globe
Record-breaking summer heat is forcing fuelmakers to cut back operations, just as dwindling supplies are causing gasoline prices to surge around the world.
The hottest-ever June and July prompted refiners to curtail oil processing by at least 2 percent globally as long stretches of triple-digit heat posed a threat to operations, according to Vikas Dwivedi, a global oil and gas strategist for Macquarie Group.
Excessive heat, associated with deferred maintenance in the past, has spurred an unusual number of refinery breakdowns this year, when fuel stockpiles are already low. This has in part propelled gasoline prices in the US to the highest level since November. High-temperature forecasts into August could keep US gasoline makers from running all out for the last stretch of the summer driving season, dimming hopes for relief at the pump.
US refineries are struggling to return to the peak utilization rate of 95.8 percent seen in early June. Since May, at least four facilities reported fires while other seven had to take units down due to power outages and unplanned repairs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “The ability to cool the tower overhead can become a constraint at high ambient temperatures,” Dwivedi said in a report.
Cooling capacity issues have also dogged European refineries struggling to process lighter crudes in the aftermath of supply cuts from Saudi Arabia. French refiner TotalEnergies SE and Italian fuelmaker Saras SPA recently lamented the dampening impact of baking temperatures. “Refineries do not like hot weather,” TotalEnergies SE CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on an earnings call.
A continued contraction of the manufacturing sector has also led European refiners to hold back.
In July, global fuelmakers processed 82.5 million barrels of oil daily, down from an earlier estimate of 84 million barrels, Macquarie data show. Refineries may still hit the target in August or early September as new plants in Asia and the Middle East ramp up, according to Dwivedi. But this last attempt to boost fuel production in the final weeks of the summer may be cut short by the upcoming fall turnaround season.
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