The Octane Squeeze: How Tightening Specifications are Reshaping Fuel and Chemical Markets
Over the course of its production history, gasoline has evolved from an economically produced, high energy density fuel to an energy source that must satisfy stricter engine performance needs and meet greater regulatory hurdles. Read More
Driving Season Kickoff Lackluster at Best, High Fuel Prices Dim Summer Outlook
Preliminary OPIS data for the Memorial Day weekend show same-store fuel volume fell year over year, and interviews with large, multistate fuel distributors and chain retailers indicate volumes ranged from flat to 5% off. Read More
Mexico Fuel Retailers Struggle to Preserve Diesel Margins Under Voluntary Price Cap: Onexpo
Mexico's fuel retailers are facing tighter margins amid the government's recent voluntary agreement to cap diesel retail prices, with fewer than half of service stations nationwide complying with the measure, Enrique Félix Robelo, president of retailers association Onexpo, said Thursday during the group's annual meeting in Merida. Read More
Global Partners Expects Tight Supply Heading Into Driving Season
Global Partners, a large U.S. fuel distributor, retailer and terminal operator, expects tight fuel inventories during the summer driving season because of the Middle East conflict, executives said Friday during a conference call with analysts. Read More
Clubs, Grocers and Buc-ee’s Are Tops in Station Efficiency
With its typical store ranging from 50,000 to 75,000 square feet and forecourts with over 100 pumps, Buc-ee’s is in a category by itself -- especially when it comes to station throughput. Read More
Sneak Peek: How Consumer Gasoline Demand has Fluctuated Alongside the Conflict in Iran
Early DemandPro data, based on actual gallons sold at approximately 35,000 gas stations across the United States, suggests that unleaded gasoline demand has declined as a result of higher pump prices, although perhaps not to the extent some initially anticipated. Read More
Market Share Shifts while Higher Gasoline Prices Persist
Last month’s OPIS RetailCents LinkedIn Newsletter focused on the sharp increase in retail unleaded gasoline prices following the start of the conflict with Iran on February 28, 2026. With national average pump prices remaining fairly consistently above $4/gal, the next area of interest becomes whether sustained higher prices influence where consumers choose to fill their tanks. Read More
UAE Will Leave OPEC Group on May 1: State Media
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will exit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC+ group from May 1 after nearly 60 years, Emirati state news agency WAM announced Tuesday. Read More
House Bill Offers Year-Round E15 With SRE Compromise
Members of the Domestic Rural Energy Council are set to introduce a bill to the House of Representatives on Wednesday that would finally offer year-round access to E15 blends while also significantly changing the scope and administration of the small refinery exemption (SRE) program under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), according to a copy of the measure shared with OPIS. Read More
Western Gateway Pipeline Advances Following Strong Open Season Interest
The Western Gateway Pipeline, a joint venture project between Kinder Morgan and Phillips 66, will advance following a "successful" second open season that secured sufficient long-term shipper commitments, the companies said on Monday. Read More
Used EV interest climbs while gasoline prices rise
Rising gasoline prices tied to tensions in the Middle East are sparking renewed interest in used electric vehicles, even as broader consumer sentiment declines, according to first-quarter data presented Tuesday by Cox Automotive and its wholesale unit Manheim. Read More
Energy Barriers in Mexico Raise Concerns Ahead of USMCA Review: US Trade Representative
Persistent friction in Mexico's energy sector could emerge as a risk to concluding the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on schedule as the U.S continues to flag regulatory barriers and operational constraints affecting companies operating in the country. Read More
Research Shows March Fuel Demand up Slightly Despite Rapid Price Increases
An economist with the Upside app, which offers consumers cash back on gasoline, groceries and dining, said U.S. fuel volumes sold rose slightly in March, , even as prices shot higher on the continuing conflict in the Middle East. Read More
San Francisco Drivers Paying $8/gal For Diesel: AAA
San Francisco retail diesel prices marked an all-time high and became first in the country to surpass $8/gal this week, according to AAA data. Drivers in San Francisco are paying an average of $8.001/gal on Tuesday, up from $6.219/gal a month ago and $5.2680/gal a year ago, according to AAA. The city set an all-time high of $8.03/gal on Monday. Read More
Extending the Conflict Timeline
As the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran extend into a second month and the potential of U.S. troops arriving on the ground seemingly takes shape, the risks to our original timeline have been upgraded. Read More
From Market Disruption to Pump Prices
Since the onset of the conflict with Iran on February 28, the U.S. economy has seen significant disruption, particularly within the energy sector. Retail fuel prices have moved sharply higher, affecting both consumer budgets and the operating environment for fuel retailers. Read More
Singapore Poised for Oil Import Surge Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions
Singapore is poised to import an unprecedented volume of refined products in March, highlighting the country’s importance as a key oil trading hub at a time of widespread supply disruptions, according to shipping data and market sources. Read More
The Case for Oil Prices to Stay Below $150
The U.S.-Iran conflict is wrapping up its fourth week and Brent crude oil is maintaining a price north of $100 per barrel. OPIS acknowledges that there is no definite timeline for a conclusion, however we have recently increased our expectations for the conflict to last six weeks. Should fighting conclude after six weeks, it will potentially require up to twelve weeks of recovery and for marine transit to normalize. The coming days will be critical as U.S. military is being staged to potentially enter the Middle East. Read More
EPA Says it Will Issue Emergency E15 Waiver for a Fifth-Straight Summer
EPA will issue an emergency waiver on volatility limits for E15 during the summer driving season starting May 1, according to a filing on the agency's website. Read More
CERAWeek 2026: Global Oil Supply Disruption Unprecedented in Scale With no Near-Term Resolution, Executives Say
HOUSTON -- The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has produced a supply disruption with no parallel in the modern history of global oil markets, compounded by the simultaneous infrastructure attacks across Central Asia that have removed a second significant export corridor, executives and officials said Tuesday at CERAWeek 2026 by S&P Global in Houston. Read More
California Lawmakers Push to Pause Gas Tax as Prices Surge at the Pump
Democrat and Republican lawmakers in California are facing roadblocks in their push to temporarily suspend the state's climate programs and gas tax as retail prices have skyrocketed nearly $1/gal above year-ago marks. Read More
Couche-Tard ‘Actively’ Pursues Acquisitions, Increases Number of Single-Site Deals
Global convenience retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard is "actively" pursuing multiple potential acquisitions across its three primary regions, Chief Executive Officer Alex Miller said Wednesday in a call discussing financial results for its fiscal 2026 third quarter. Read More
U.S. West Coast Diesel Exports to Mexico Drop 41% in 2025 as Trade Flows Shift
U.S. West Coast distillate exports to Mexico in 2025 fell by more than 41% from 2024, according to Energy Information data, leading fuel analysts and traders to question whether the decline was the result of cyclical demand shifts or Mexico's push to increase domestic refining capacity. Read More
Los Angeles Spot Gasoline Prices Fall on Reports of Multiple Cargoes En Route to California
Los Angeles spot gasoline prices were down in Friday afternoon trading on reports that a number of tankers carrying finished motor fuel are set to reach Southern California ports over the weekend and further into March. Read More
Europe Retail Road Fuel Prices Post Multi-Year Highs on Iran Conflict: OPIS NAVX
Retail road fuel prices in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. have posted multi-year highs, buoyed by rocketing crude due to the Iran conflict. Read More
Cumberland Farms Says it Will Acquire 54-Unit Fuel Retailer and C-Store Operator Coen Markets
Fuel retailer and convenience-store operator Cumberland Farms has agreed to acquire Pennsylvania-based Coen Markets, which owns 54 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, according to a news release on Thursday. Read More
California’s Cap-and-Invest Proposal Sparks Industry Backlash
Proposed changes to California's Cap-and-Invest program has sparked industry opposition as the state's remaining refiners warned the added compliance costs will lead to additional plant closures. Read More
Mexican Energy Regulator CNE Approves Five New Fuel Station Permits, Brand Changes
Mexican energy regulator CNE last week said it approved five new fuel retail permits at its late-February meeting and accepted several other requests, including brand changes, permit transfers between companies and fuel transport applications. Read More
Analysis: How the Covid-19 Pandemic Shook Up Gasoline Market Share
The Covid-19 pandemic significantly influenced U.S. gasoline market share, altering demand patterns and reshaping industry dynamics, an OPIS analysis shows. Gasoline brands became increasingly competitive in a declining market. OPIS data indicate fuel demand fell 25.2% from 2019 to 2025. The push for market share has become a tight horse race. Read More
Refiner Brand Market Share Falls, Big Independent Retailers See Market Share Climb
The combined U.S. gasoline market share for refiner fuel brands fell year to year in 2025 and in the fourth quarter, an OPIS analysis shows. Read More
Pemex Says 2025 Crude Oil Processing Rate Topped 1 Million b/d for First Time Since 2015
Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex said its seven domestic refineries processed an average of 1.014 million b/d of crude oil in 2025, up 12% from 2024, marking the first time since 2015 that annual average refinery throughput exceeded 1 million b/d. Read More
South Korea Gets Ready to Tap Internal Oil Reserves Amid Iran Crisis
South Korea is prepared to release oil from its strategic reserves and supply stored petroleum to the domestic market if the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues and depletes private inventories, said the government in an urgent meeting to discuss the situation. Read More
Mexico Sees No Immediate Fuel Price Impacts from Mideast Clash: Analysts
Mexican energy analysts on Monday said they don't expect the U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran will have an immediate impact on the country's retail fuel prices. Read More
OPEC+ Members Agree to Increase Oil Output by Higher-than-Expected 206,000 b/d
OPEC+ member countries on Sunday said they would increase production by 206,000 b/d starting in April. Read More
European Oil Prices, Tanker Freight Rates Climb Amid US, Israel Strikes on Iran
Refined oil prices and tanker freight rates for shipping refined products into Europe from the Middle East started to climb on the last trading day of February ahead of the U.S. and Israel launching an offensive against Iran, an analyst told OPIS Sunday. Read More
Oil Prices Inch Higher After US and Israel Strike Iran
Oil prices were firmer early Saturday following reports that the US and Israel launched pre-emptive strikes against Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read More
Winter Storm Demand Trends, Outlet Share 2025 vs. 2024
Winter Storm Fern, a Category 3 storm that stretched primarily from January 23 to January 27, 2026, created widespread disruption across the national retail unleaded gasoline market. Read More
Cuba Fuel Shortage Puts Mexican Government in an ‘Impossible Situation’: Analyst
The Mexican government is facing an "impossible position" on Cuba as it is limited to sending humanitarian aid to the Caribbean country, while being unable to resume crude oil or fuel exports to an island running critically low on both, according to Ricardo Torres, a research fellow at American University. Read More
HF Sinclair Hopeful on Western Pipeline Project, Forms Branded Marketing JV
HF Sinclair officials on Wednesday said the company is continuing to evaluate a refined product pipeline expansion that will allow it to serve U.S. West Coast markets and announced a fuel-distribution joint venture that would supply fuel from its refineries. Read More
Couche-Tard plans building campaign, big acquisitions could also be in the works
Alimentation Couche-Tard intends to add at least 750 stores over the next five years through new store construction and single-site acquisitions, the company said Wednesday in an investor presentation. The presentation also said Couche-Tard will expand through "opportunistic" regional and large-scale acquisitions and by adding sites to its franchise network. Read More
Couche-Tard Says it Will Add at Least 750 Stores to its Retail Network Over Next Five Years
Alimentation Couche-Tard intends to add at least 750 stores over the next five years through new store construction and single-site acquisitions, the company said Wednesday in an investor presentation. Read More
Minnesota Reaches New Record for E15 Sales in 2025
Unleaded 88 sales in Minnesota reached a new annual record in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth, the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association said Wednesday, citing Minnesota Department of Commerce data. Read More
Reformulated Gasoline Refinery Production Hits Five-Year Low: CEC
California's refinery production of reformulated gasoline last week fell to its lowest in at least five years, while stockpiles of the fuel inched up during the period, according to California Energy Commission data released Wednesday. Read More
Who Led Estimated Unleaded Margins in January 2026?
Across the country, January 2026 leaders were often smaller brands (generally 20 to 70 sites), though ExtraMile stood out nationally as an exception, ranking second with an average margin of $0.806 per gallon. Read More
California Likely to See E15 Retail Sites Within a Year: Industry Official
SAN DIEGO -- California is likely to see E15 retail sites by this time next year, an industry official said last week. Read More
Mexican Hydrocarbon Regulations Keep Foreign Majors Away from Pemex: Analyst
Pemex's ability to attract high-profile international investors under mixed-production contracts appears constrained by the country's strict hydrocarbons regulations, according to Gonzalo Monroy, managing director of Mexico City-based energy consultancy GMEC. Read More
Independent Fuel Future Critical for Arizona and Nevada, Officials and Industry say
Arizona and Nevada are taking steps to break away from a decades-long dependence on California fuel as the Golden State experiences refinery closures and becomes increasingly dependent on gasoline imports that can take weeks to secure and ship. Read More
Sheinbaum Says Mexico Will Remain Key Fuel Supplier to Cuba As Venezuela Exports Decline
Mexico will continue to send crude oil and gasoline to Cuba, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday, after Venezuelan energy exports to the island nation were curtailed by U.S. sanctions and actions and may be halted. Read More
PBF Energy Says it Plans to Conduct Turnaround Work at Most of its Refineries in 2026
PBF Energy is planning turnaround work at nearly all of its refineries this year and expects plant outages in the first, second and fourth quarters. Read More
2026 Preview: NY Harbor Market Watching Refined Product Stocks, Growing Renewable Diesel Use
Northeast spot refined product market participants will enter the new year with a close watch on gasoline supplies, exports from Nigeria's Dangote refinery and the rising use of renewable diesel in the region. Read More
2026 Preview: Dangote, Dos Bocas Impacts Eyed in Gulf Coast Gasoline Market
U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline market participants say their key focuses in the new year will be the potential effects of increased production from Nigeria's 650,000 b/d Dangote and Mexico's 340,000 b/d Dos Bocas refineries. Read More
2026 Preview: Midwest Spot Market Participants Look to New Western Pipelines, RVP Waivers
The U.S. Midwest spot refined products market will enter the new year with questions over two proposed pipeline projects intended to move gasoline and distillate from Texas refineries to Arizona and California markets. In addition, it will have to deal with questions over how summertime sales of E15 in the region will affect supply and trade as states begin to file for waivers allowing summer sales of the higher ethanol blend. Read More
2026 Preview: West Coast Refined Product Market Begins New Year ‘Walking a Tightrope’
The U.S. West Coast fuels market, which will enter 2026 with the lowest refining capacity in years, will see another decline in April, when Valero Energy closes its 150,000 b/d Benicia plant in Northern California, likely raising unpredictability in a region long marked by price volatility. Read More
US Fuel Distributor and Retailer Anabi Oil Acquires 12 California Stores
Fuel distributor and retailer Anabi Oil of Upland, Calif., has continued its aggressive expansion push by acquiring 12 California convenience stores from C&J Cox and affiliates in the Tri-Valley and Lake Tahoe areas, sell-side advisor Matrix Capital Markets Group said in a news release Thursday. Read More
PNW Gasoline Prices Fall After Olympic Pipeline Operations Fully Restored
Pacific Northwest sub-octane regular and premium grade spot market implied prices fell by double digits on lower offers Monday following restoration of operations along the Olympic Pipeline's 16-inch and 20-inch lines. Read More
Oil Surplus Outlook, Uncertain Geopolitics Led OPEC+ to Pause Hikes: Rystad
A looming global crude oil surplus, uncertainties over U.S. policies toward Venezuela and the continuing war between Ukraine and Russia led OPEC and allied producers to pause further production increases in the first quarter of 2026, analyst Rystad Energy said Sunday. Read More
Olympic Pipeline Partially Restarts; 20 Inch Line Stays Shut Pending Repairs
BP Pipelines North America said early Tuesday that the Olympic pipeline completed a partial restart after tests showed no indication of a leak in the 16-inch pipeline segment, allowing the line to safely resume operations. Read More
California-Bound Gasoline Cargoes Set for Arrival Amid Refinery, Pipe Work
More than 1 million barrels of gasoline are set to arrive in California within the next 10 days, as market participants navigate pipeline constraints in the Pacific Northwest and refinery maintenance events in Los Angeles. Read More
Oneok Reports Third Quarter Refined Product Shipments Increased 1-3% from Q2
Oneok on Wednesday reported its third quarter financial results, which showed refined product shipments in the quarter were up by about 1-3% from quarter two. Read More
E15 Growth Expected to Continue Despite Ongoing Challenges: Panelists
E15 growth is expected to continue into 2026, despite continuing challenges, according to panelists speaking this week at the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America's (SIGMA) annual meeting in Nashville. Read More
FERC Rejects Colonial Pipeline’s Proposed Tariff Changes on Gasoline Grades
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected Colonial Pipeline's proposed tariff modifications that would have changed how the pipeline operator ships various gasoline grades with different Reid Vapor Pressures. Read More
Phoenix to Receive Half of Proposed Product Pipeline’s Volumes: Phillips 66
Phillips 66 expects about half of the refined product volumes shipped on its proposed Western Gateway pipeline from the U.S. Midcontinent to Arizona and California would be shared equally by both states, Brian Mandell, the company's executive vice president for marketing and commercial said on Wednesday. Read More
Year-Round E15 Sales the ‘Top Priority’ for Ethanol Industry: RFA Chief
WASHINGTON -- E15 expansion has emerged as the "top priority" for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), its chief executive officer said Monday. Read More
Trends Suggest More Balanced California Gasoline Market Ahead of RVP Switch
The annual switch from 5.99-lb. RVP summer-grade gasoline to cheaper-to-make winter-grade blends in the West Coast has led to sharply different price moves over the past five years, but recent trends point to a more balanced supply and demand picture ahead of this year's transition, according to OPIS pricing history and public inventory data. Read More
Nevada Governor Seeks to Establish Committee Focused on Fuel Stability
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo is seeking to create a committee that will focus on strengthening the state’s fuel supply by reducing “vulnerabilities to regional and national disruptions,” a news release from the governor’s office said on Thursday. Read More
US-Mexico Energy Trade Drops 21% in 2024 as Crude Imports Decline
The value of energy trade between the U.S. and Mexico in 2024 dropped to its lowest level since 2020 amid falling fuel prices and reduced Mexican oil output, according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More
Northern California Refineries May Cover Supply Following El Segundo Fire
With a fire outbreak at Chevron's 290,500 b/d El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles now extinguished, traders and analysts speculate refineries in Northern California will bear the short-term brunt of supplying Southern California with distillates and gasoline products. Read More
Russia’s Diesel Exports Plunge Amid Ukrainian Attacks on Refineries
Russia’s diesel exports plummeted in September to an eight-year low for the month as a recent wave of Ukrainian drone attacks has significantly disrupted the country’s refining system. Read More
OPIS Forum: Energy Transition is about Diversification, Not a Linear Shift
The simultaneous rise in consumption of both fossil fuels and renewables is making energy transition less a simple phase-out of traditional fuels and more an expansion of power sources, with the process likely to take longer than expected, given varying stages of development across the world, said panelists at the OPIS Energy and Chemicals Forum on Wednesday. Read More
OPIS Forum: China’s EV Growth Putting Brakes on Gasoline Demand
Electric vehicles are spearheading China’s energy transition, with the cheaper costs of electricity putting pressure on the growth of gasoline consumption , according to findings from Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute, presented at the OPIS Energy and Chemicals Forum in Singapore on Wednesday. Read More
Oil Price to Fall Sharply in Coming Months on Stock Buildup, OPEC Hikes: EIA
The Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday it expects the price of crude oil to decline significantly in the coming months, weighed down by large oil inventory builds as OPEC and its allied members increase oil production. Read More
EPA Moves to Revoke Finding Underpinning GHG Emission Regulations
The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled its plan to revoke the finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health, which could allow for the invalidation of multiple federal climate regulations. Read More
Will European Refinery Run Rises Boost Diesel Yields and Support Margins?
The International Energy Agency’s July Oil Market Report says that European refinery throughput in July 2025 is projected to be 11.3 million barrels/day, up from 11 million b/d in June and 10.9 million b/d in May. The IEA added “the current strong margin environment and rising crude supplies increase the chances that runs will surprise to the upside in the coming months.” Read More
OPEC+ Production August Increase Covered by Current Production
On July 5, the eight members of OPEC+—the grouping of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and ten other oil exporters—that agreed last December to an additional voluntary cut of 2.2 million barrels/day over a two-year period, announced the final stage of the unwinding of these cuts one year ahead of schedule by agreeing to a production increase of 548,000 b/d effective Aug 1. Read More