据海湾时报网站2月15日消息 数月后，美国的石油需求终于开始摆脱新冠病毒大流行的困扰，此前亚洲是全球市场上唯一的亮点。
美国炼油厂正在加工自3月份经济陷入停滞以来最多的原油，因为预计今年夏天疫苗推动的汽油需求将增加。油价上涨意味着炼油商正在争夺国内的石油，而这些石油数月来一直运往亚洲更为强劲的市场。像西德克萨斯中质原油这样等级的货物的价格从本月早些时候开始至少上涨了50美分/桶。
美国需求的恢复始于去年12月全球疫苗接种运动的启动，这是石油从大流行的深渊中复苏的最新进展。几个月来，石油价格一直由欧佩克及其合作伙伴通过减产来管理，没有得到亚洲以外需求的帮助。
随着国内石油需求复苏，可能会出现供应短缺。在数十家钻井公司大幅削减预算并申请破产后，经济驱动的产量下降使当地原油从峰值1310万桶/天下降约200万桶。美国政府预计，2022年石油产量将恢复到每天1150万桶。
吴恒磊 编译自 海湾时报
原文如下：
US oil demand is emerging after months of Covid paralysis
US oil demand is finally starting to emerge from the grips of pandemic after months with Asia serving as the lone bright spot in the global market market.
American refiners are processing the most crude since the economy ground to a halt in March in anticipation of a vaccine-driven boost in gasoline demand this summer. The uptick means that the refiners are competing for domestic barrels that for months were sent to more robust markets in Asia. Prices for cargoes of grades like West Texas Intermediate crude have picked up by at least 50 cents a barrel from earlier this month.
The return of US demand, which began when a global vaccination campaign kicked off in December, is the latest development in oil’s recovery from the depths of the pandemic. For months oil prices were managed by Opec and its partners with production cuts, without the help of demand outside of Asia.
As domestic oil demand recovers, it could meet with supply shortages. Economic-driven output declines took about 2mn barrels a day of local crude off the market from the peak of 13.1mn, after dozens of drillers slashed budgets and filed for bankruptcy. The US government sees production recovering to only 11.5mn barrels a day in 2022.
