據(jù)彭博社8月1日?qǐng)?bào)道，歷史最高水平的夏季高溫迫使煉油廠減少運(yùn)營(yíng)，與此同時(shí)，燃料供應(yīng)短缺導(dǎo)致全球汽油價(jià)格飆升。

澳大利亞麥格理集團(tuán)（Macquarie Group）的全球石油和天然氣策略師Vikas Dwivedi表示，空前的六月和七月高溫使得全球至少有2%的石油加工減產(chǎn)，因?yàn)槌掷m(xù)的高溫對(duì)運(yùn)營(yíng)造成威脅。

過(guò)去的高溫天氣與設(shè)備維護(hù)延期有關(guān)，今年出現(xiàn)了異常多的煉油廠故障，而燃料庫(kù)存已經(jīng)很低。這在一定程度上推動(dòng)了美國(guó)汽油價(jià)格升至去年11月以來(lái)的最高水平。預(yù)計(jì)八月份的高溫預(yù)報(bào)可能會(huì)使美國(guó)汽油生產(chǎn)商無(wú)法在夏季駕車季的最后一段時(shí)間全力運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，令人對(duì)油價(jià)的緩解感到失望。

美國(guó)的煉油廠正在努力恢復(fù)至6月初95.8%的產(chǎn)能利用率。根據(jù)彭博社編制的數(shù)據(jù)，自5月份以來(lái)，至少有四處油氣基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施報(bào)告了火災(zāi)，而另外七家則因停電和非計(jì)劃維修而停產(chǎn)。“在高環(huán)境溫度下，冷卻裝置的能力可能成為一個(gè)限制因素。”Dwivedi在一份報(bào)告中表示。

冷卻能力問(wèn)題也困擾著歐洲的煉油廠，它們正努力處理來(lái)自沙特阿拉伯等國(guó)的輕質(zhì)原油供應(yīng)削減后的影響。法國(guó)的煉油企業(yè)道達(dá)爾能源和意大利的燃料制造商Saras SPA最近也在抱怨高溫的抑制影響。“煉油廠不喜歡炎熱的天氣。”道達(dá)爾能源的首席執(zhí)行官潘彥磊在一次盈利電話會(huì)議上說(shuō)道。

歐洲制造業(yè)的持續(xù)萎縮也導(dǎo)致歐洲的煉油廠保持了產(chǎn)能平穩(wěn)。

根據(jù)麥格理的數(shù)據(jù)，7月份全球燃料生產(chǎn)商每天加工了8250萬(wàn)桶原油，低于之前估計(jì)的8400萬(wàn)桶。Dwivedi表示，由于亞洲和中東的新工廠正在逐步投產(chǎn)，煉油廠可能會(huì)在8月或9月初實(shí)現(xiàn)產(chǎn)能目標(biāo)。但是在夏季最后幾周試圖增加燃料生產(chǎn)的這最后一搏可能會(huì)被即將到來(lái)的秋季停駛季戛然而止。

胡耀東 譯自 鉆井地帶

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.