Several continuing trends pushed crude oil exports higher and imports lower and resulted in the Gulf Coast (defined as Petroleum Administration for Defense District, or PADD, 3) becoming a net crude oil exporter in the last two months of 2018.
US crude oil production, particularly in the US Gulf Coast region, has increased in recent years. In November 2018, US Gulf Coast crude oil production set a new record of 7.7 million bpd. The increased production is mostly of light, sweet crude oils, but US Gulf Coast refineries are configured mostly to process heavy, sour crude oils. This increasing production and mismatch between crude oil type and refinery configuration allows for more of the increasing US crude oil production to be exported.
