U.S. refineries at 92% capacity

The U.S. refining system was running hard in early May, but the government data behind the “92% capacity” claim is narrower than some social-media posts suggested. The Energy Information Administration said in its Weekly Petroleum Status Report that U.S. refineries operated at 91.7% of operable capacity in the week ended May 8, 2026. Gasoline production increased to 9.8 million barrels per day, while distillate fuel production fell to 4.8 million barrels per day. Commercial crude inventories, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 4.3 million barrels to 452.9 million barrels. The data supports the basic point that refiners were lifting runs into the spring driving season. It does not, by itself, show that refiners were specifically boosting jet fuel output in that week. The same EIA report said jet fuel product supplied over the previous four weeks was down 5.5% from a year earlier. ### Where does the 92% figure come from? The 91.7% figure comes from the EIA’s weekly report for the week ended May 8. The agency said crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.4 million barrels per day, up 369,000 barrels per day from the previous week, and that refineries operated at 91.7% of operable capacity. That is the closest verified public figure to the “about 92%” claim in the material provided. Because the EIA rounds and updates the series weekly, social posts describing U.S. refineries at “about 92% capacity” are broadly consistent with the latest published government number. ### Did refiners increase gasoline and jet-fuel production together? Gasoline production did rise in the latest weekly data. The EIA said gasoline production increased to an average of 9.8 million barrels per day in the week ended May 8. Total motor gasoline inventories fell by 4.1 million barrels and were 5% below the five-year average for this time of year. (ir.eia.gov) Jet fuel is less clear in the weekly snapshot. The detailed stock table shows kerosene-type jet fuel inventories at 44.0 million barrels, down 0.5 million barrels from the prior week and 4.5% below the year-earlier level. But the weekly summary did not say jet fuel production increased, and its four-week demand measure for jet fuel was down 5.5% from the same period last year. (ir.eia.gov) A separate EIA outlook has warned that jet fuel could remain structurally tight in 2026. In a March 2025 analysis based on its Short-Term Energy Outlook, the agency said U.S. jet fuel consumption was expected to reach a record high in 2026 while inventories would fall to about 21 days of supply, the lowest since 1963. (ir.eia.gov) ### How much of this move is tied to Iran and oil prices? Oil prices were above $100 a barrel this week as traders priced war risk linked to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. CNBC reported that on May 12 Brent crude settled at $107.77 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate settled at $102.18, after President Donald Trump said hopes for a ceasefire with Iran were fading. (hydrocarbonprocessing.com) The price ranges in the material provided — roughly $101 to $112 for WTI and near $108 for Brent — are directionally consistent with those reported levels, though the exact May 16 price points were not independently verified from a primary exchange settlement source in the materials reviewed. CNBC also cited former Biden energy adviser Amos Hochstein as saying oil could remain in a $90-to-$100 range for the rest of the year even if Hormuz reopens in early June. (cnbc.com) ### What about the Trump quote circulating online? President Donald Trump did make the “extremely hard” remark, but not yesterday. Reuters reported on April 1, 2026, that Trump said Washington would strike Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks in a televised address. (cnbc.com) That means social posts recirculating the quote on May 16 were referring to an earlier statement, not a newly delivered threat on that date. The timing matters because oil markets this week were reacting to a broader stream of developments around Iran, ceasefire talks and the Strait of Hormuz, not to a fresh first use of that April 1 line. (usnews.com) ### What should readers watch next? The EIA is scheduled to publish its next Weekly Petroleum Status Report on May 21, and that release will show whether refinery utilization stayed near 92%, whether gasoline output kept rising, and whether jet fuel inventories tightened further. Brent and WTI settlements, along with any new White House statements on Iran and Hormuz, will be the next concrete markers for this story. (cnbc.com)