Inventories of gasoline in lower Atlantic US states in the path of Hurricane Florence have begun declining amid surging demand by motorists evacuating the area, with further declines expected as the storm makes landfall, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a press release on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2018) Inventories of gasoline in lower Atlantic US states in the path of Hurricane Florence have begun declining amid surging demand by motorists evacuating the area, with further declines expected as the storm makes landfall, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a press release on Thursday.
"The storm's high winds and heavy rainfall are likely to affect energy infrastructure throughout the region, particularly for electricity transmission and distribution, while widespread evacuations and disruptions to normal business operations could alter electricity demand and supply and demand patterns for transportation fuels," the release said.
Typically, demand for transportation fuels increases rapidly in the days before the arrival of a hurricane in the affected areas as consumers make fuel purchases in preparation for evacuation, the release explained.
"Lower Atlantic inventories of distillate have fallen to 12.5 million barrels, or 5 percent lower than the five-year average," the release noted.
In addition, some nuclear power plants in the region have reduced output, although the release did not offer an explanation.
As of Thursday morning, 2 of the 11 nuclear power plants in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia were operating at slightly reduced levels: one unit of the Brunswick plant (operating at 88 percent of capacity) and one unit of the McGuire plant (99 percent), both of which are in North Carolina, the release noted.
Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall near the area of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as a Category 2 storm on Friday.
