HOUSTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.1 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending May 19, 79,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to the weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.
Refineries operated at 91.7 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data Report.
During the same period, both gasoline and distillate fuel production rose, averaging 10.3 million b/d and 4.9 million b/d respectively.
U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 12.5 million barrels from the previous week to 455.2 million barrels, which were three percent below the five year average for this time of year.
Total motor gasoline inventories went down by 2.1 million barrels from the previous week and were some eight percent below the five year average for this time of year.
Finished gasoline inventories went up while blending components inventories went down last week.
Distillate fuel inventories dropped by 0.6 million barrels last week, and were about 18 percent below the five year average for this time of year.
Propane/propylene inventories went up by 3.1 million barrels from last week, but about 32 percent above the five year average for this time of year.
Total commercial petroleum inventories fell by 10.8 million barrels last week.
Total products supplied over the last four week period averaged 20.1 million b/d, up by 2.8 percent from the same period last year.
Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 9.1 million b/d, up by 2.5 percent from the same period last year.
Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4 million b/d over the past four weeks, up by 2.8 percent from the same period last year.
Jet fuel product supplied was up 3.7 percent compared with the same four week period last year. ■