據彭博社8月1日報道，歷史最高水平的夏季高溫迫使煉油廠減少運營，與此同時，燃料供應短缺導致全球汽油價格飆升。

澳大利亞麥格理集團（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，因為持續的高溫對運營造成威脅。

過去的高溫天氣與設備維護延期有關，今年出現了異常多的煉油廠故障，而燃料庫存已經很低。這在一定程度上推動了美國汽油價格升至去年11月以來的最高水平。預計八月份的高溫預報可能會使美國汽油生產商無法在夏季駕車季的最后一段時間全力運轉，令人對油價的緩解感到失望。

美國的煉油廠正在努力恢復至6月初95.8%的產能利用率。根據彭博社編制的數據，自5月份以來，至少有四處油氣基礎設施報告了火災，而另外七家則因停電和非計劃維修而停產。“在高環境溫度下，冷卻裝置的能力可能成為一個限制因素。”Dwivedi在一份報告中表示。

冷卻能力問題也困擾著歐洲的煉油廠，它們正努力處理來自沙特阿拉伯等國的輕質原油供應削減后的影響。法國的煉油企業道達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。”道達爾能源的首席執行官潘彥磊在一次盈利電話會議上說道。

歐洲制造業的持續萎縮也導致歐洲的煉油廠保持了產能平穩。

根據麥格理的數據，7月份全球燃料生產商每天加工了8250萬桶原油，低于之前估計的8400萬桶。Dwivedi表示，由于亞洲和中東的新工廠正在逐步投產，煉油廠可能會在8月或9月初實現產能目標。但是在夏季最后幾周試圖增加燃料生產的這最后一搏可能會被即將到來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.