FuelGauge.com

2011-12-14T20:50:00.002-06:00

Software

Check out various Gecko products for your work.

The Year of the Fuel Spec

2005-11-17T11:23:00.000-06:00

Released on January 5, 2006
(Next Release on January 11, 2006)

The Year of the Fuel Spec
A year from now, as we look back on 2006, oil market analysts may call it, “The Year of the Fuel Spec” (“spec” being short for specification). Regulatory and industry changes to the composition of both gasoline and diesel fuel will be key issues affecting these markets in 2006. How markets behave during the transition to these new transportation fuel specifications will go a long way in determining how high retail prices may reach for these two fuels.

Specifically, five fuel specification changes, some due to mandates for cleaner-burning fuels pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, others resulting from the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) and industry responses to it, will stress the fuel supply system in 2006. Two of these changes, the ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) program, and the removal of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from reformulated gasoline by many suppliers, are likely to be the most challenging to the market. Three additional fuel specification changes in 2006 are expected, individually, to have only minor impacts on gasoline prices and price volatility, but in total, to exacerbate an already tight market. They are: (1) establishment of a renewable fuels standard in EPAct 2005 that requires an increasing volume of renewable transportation fuel to be used each year starting in 2006; (2) implementation of an EPAct 2005 requirement that reformulated gasoline meet the same volatile organic compound (VOCs) emission standard in northern and southern regions, in an attempt to begin consolidating fuel types to increase fuel fungibility; and (3) implementation of the full Tier 2 low-sulfur gasoline requirements, resulting in average gasoline sulfur content of 30 parts per million (ppm), one-tenth the average sulfur content only three years ago.

As the ULSD program and the removal of MTBE from reformulated gasoline (RFG) have the potential to cause the most volatility in prices during the transitions this year, it is worth focusing on these two changes a little more closely. In both cases, following the operational changes and new equipment installation required by refineries and distributors, supply problems may arise from:

*Loss of production capability

*Loss of import supply sources

*Increased difficulty in delivering the new products (including the need for extra tankage)

*A one-time inventory pinch when inventories of old product must be drawn down and tanks prepared for the cleaner new product – both at wholesale and retail levels.

The ULSD program begins in 2006 with the requirement that at least 80 percent of on-highway diesel fuel being supplied must have no more than 15 ppm sulfur content at retail. Refineries are scheduled to comply by June 1. (The sulfur content of non-road, locomotive, and marine diesel fuel will be ratcheted down in subsequent years.)

Notwithstanding the recent hurricanes, refinery modifications to allow production of ULSD are largely on track. The biggest challenge is expected to be delivery of the product from supply source to retail. ULSD will travel with other petroleum products through pipelines on the way to bulk terminals from which it will be shipped by tanker truck to truck stops and retail stations. However, other petroleum products traveling in the pipeline system with a much higher sulfur content could easily contaminate ULSD -- jet fuel, for example, can have 3000 ppm of sulfur. If ULSD is contaminated, it may not be possible to correct the batch by blending with additional low sulfur product. Contaminated ULSD may have to be returned to a refinery for reprocessing, which can be difficult because petroleum product transportation systems are not designed to return product to refineries.
[See This Week in Petroleum . . . (linked in sidebar) for full story.]

Halliburton likely to rebuild oilfields

2005-08-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

HAL (HALLIBURTON HLDG CO)

62.31 -0.85 (-1.35%) 2 Sep at 4:00PM ET
Open: 62.98
High: 63.15
Low: 62.13
Volume: 5,241,700
Avg Vol: 6,358,000
Mkt Cap: 31.24B

NYSE data delayed by 20 minutes - Disclaimer

After Hours ECN: 62.30 -0.01 (-0.02%) 2 Sep at 6:56PM ET

Coal? Yes, it is an energy stock

2005-08-14T06:23:00.000-05:00

Best Performing Stocks in the US Coal Index

Symbol / Company Name / Percent Change3mos.

JRCC James River Coal Co 41.83%
FCL Foundation Coal Hldgs Inc 38.07%
ARLP Alliance Res Partner L P 31.56%
CNX Consol Energy Inc 28.95%
BTU Peabody Energy Corp 25.49%
ACIPR Arch Coal Inc 23.10%
MEE Massey Energy Company 19.46%
ACI Arch Coal Inc 14.61%
YZC Yanzhou Coal Mng Co Ltd 13.55%
WLBPR Westmoreland Coal Co 11.63%

World oil prices hit new heights -DAWN - Business; August 7, 2005

2005-08-07T01:40:00.000-05:00

World oil prices hit new heights -DAWN - Business; August 7, 2005:

LONDON, Aug 6: World oil prices jumped to new historic peaks above $62 this week, driven by disruptions across refineries, while the death of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd provided only limited support to crude futures. Copper continued to post fresh record highs on strong Chinese demand. . . ."

TruckPilot.com Home

2005-08-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

TruckPilot.com Home:

"The Routing and Miling Website designed by truckers for truckers. It offers practical routing with daily diesel fuel prices and alternative route comparisons by route cost, mileage and driving time with the click of a mouse. Which is the best route for you?

Want to refuel at the truckstop with the lowest current prices without going off-route? Our new Fuel Minimizer will instruct you where to fill up and calculate your total trip savings!"

Primer on Gasoline Prices

2005-08-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Primer on Gasoline Prices: "A PRIMER ON GASOLINE PRICES

Gasoline, one of the main products refined from crude oil, accounts for just about 17 percent of the energy consumed in the United States. The primary use for gasoline is in automobiles and light trucks. Gasoline also fuels boats, recreational vehicles, and various farm and other equipment. While gasoline is produced year-round, extra volumes are made in time for the summer driving season. Gasoline is delivered from oil refineries mainly through pipelines to a massive distribution chain serving 167,000 retail gasoline stations throughout the United States. 1 There are three main grades of gasoline: regular, mid-grade, and premium. Each grade has a different octane level. Price levels vary by grade, but the price differential between grades is generally constant.

What are the components of the retail price of gasoline?"
. . .

EIA Library/Archives

2005-08-06T22:42:00.000-05:00

EIA Library/Archives: "EIA Library/Archives

Click on a topic below to see products in that category; or Search.

Alternative Fuels Financial
Nuclear
Coal
Forecasting
Petroleum
Consumption
International
Renewable
Electricity
Model Documentation
Service Reports
Environment
Multifuel
State Energy
Feature Articles
Natural Gas
Other Publications (Directories, Brochures)
List all titles "

2005-08-06T20:05:00.000-05:00

HALLIBURTON HLDG CO (NYSE:HAL) Delayed quote data

After Hours (RT-ECN): 58.75 0.33 (0.56%)

Last Trade: 58.42
Trade Time: Aug 5
Change: 0.77 (1.30%)
Prev Close: 59.19
Open: 59.78
Bid: N/A
Ask: N/A
1y Target Est: 63.88

Day's Range: 57.98 - 59.78
52wk Range: 26.45 - 59.99
Volume: 5,864,900
Avg Vol (3m): 5,154,760
Market Cap: 29.55B
P/E (ttm): 32.29
EPS (ttm): 1.81
Div Yield (ttm): 0.50 (0.84%)