From refinery maintenance to seasonal gasoline blends, the reasons why gas prices tend to make a move in the spring is a good opportunity to communicate market conditions with customers.
April 06, 2023, By Jeff Lenard
“They’re going start raising gas prices again, you know.”
Who?
“The people in charge of them. They do it every year at this time.”
Why?
“Because they can.”
That’s a real conversation and the person making those broad statements is not alone. It’s also one of the reasons why, for the past two decades, NACS has published resources to help explain why gasoline prices typically increase in the spring.
Originally, we focused on publishing resources on Feb. 2 for two reasons. One, the first week of February is the time when the industry gears up for summer-blend fuel. The slight lull in demand between the winter holidays and summer drive make it an ideal time to catch up on refinery maintenance, called “turnarounds.”
At the same time, the refining industry is producing more than a dozen gasoline blends that are required by different regulations across the country. This all creates pressure on the system, and any disruptions (wars, OPEC production cuts, oil strikes, pipeline disruptions—you name it) can accelerate problems. Seasonal Gas Prices Explained goes more in depth.
The second reason we focused on Feb. 2: Groundhog Day. READ MORE
Source: www.convenience.org