From the EIA (Energy Information Adminstration - US Government)
As winter ends, we all see various signs of spring, including the first crocuses blooming, robins returning, and in Washington, D.C., the breathtaking emergence of the cherry blossoms. But there is a less visible rite of spring of which most people are unaware – the peak refinery maintenance season. As winter heating oil demand winds down and before summer driving demand picks up, refiners undertake their heaviest maintenance season (less extensive maintenance occurs in the fall). By April, refiners are typically coming out of maintenance and are ramping up production of gasoline for the summer driving season. However, the industry isn’t usually at full production until sometime in May or June. Frequently, the balance between supply and demand tightens during this spring transition when refinery outages restrain supply increases at the same time seasonal demand is rising.
But this year has a new wrinkle: the U.S. has less need for petroleum products from our domestic refineries than usual. Falling petroleum consumption, high gasoline import availability, and increasing use of ethanol in gasoline have reduced demand for U.S. refinery output, and, as a result, refinery utilization has fallen.
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