The declaration of the American president, although it sounds optimistic, was met with a cool reception by analysts who point to serious restrictions on American exports of aviation fuel.
US President Donald Trump, in his own style, said in a post on the TruthSocial social networking site that when it comes to jet fuel, the United States “has plenty of it.” But government data shows the reality is more complicated.
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As Reuters reminds, before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, which led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, aviation fuel exports from the Persian Gulf countries amounted to approximately 500,000. barrels per day. The main directions of these deliveries are Europe, Asia and Africa.
Meanwhile, the United States last year they exported an average of 219 thousand. barrels of jet fuel per day – according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a unit of the Department of Energy.
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Energy expert Matt Smith from Kpler, a company that collects and analyzes market data, noted in a statement to Reuters that US replacement of Strait of Hormuz supplies 'very, very, very unlikely'. He also emphasized that most of the aviation fuel produced in the USA is intended for the internal needs of the country, which is the largest consumer of this raw material in the world.
Production versus demand
According to the latest EIA data, U.S. refineries and fuel blenders produced 1.97 million barrels of jet fuel per day last week. Domestic demand at the same time was 1.79 million barrels per day, which means that the excess production was small.
MattSmith points out that even if the United States has surpluses of jet fuel, domestic airlines generate enormous demand that limits export opportunities.
The distribution of jet fuel production in the US also remains a problem. Most refineries are located on the Gulf Coast, while the main consumption centers are on the east and west coasts. Historically, these regions have relied on imports to meet their needs.
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Donald Trump's declarations, although catchy, therefore, they seem to differ from the real possibilities of the United States in terms of supporting the global aviation fuel market.
