Japan July total oil sales up 1.7pct yr/yr – METI

03-Sep-2012 Intellasia | Reuters | 7:01 AM

Japan’s total oil product sales rose 1.7 percent from a year earlier to 15.80 million kilolitres (3.2 million barrels per day) in July, an eighth straight month of gains driven by increased burning of fuel oil with most nuclear power stations closed.

Domestic sales of B- and C-type fuel oil, used by power utilities, rose 36.6 percent to 2.37 million kilolitres (14.9 million barrels) last month, while imports of these fuels jumped 72.7 percent to 4.9 million barrels, according to data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Gasoline demand in June fell 1.5 percent from a year earlier to 31.4 million barrels, but kerosene sales rose 7.9 percent to 4.1 million barrels, helped by an early start to stockpiling ahead of the peak season for the heating oil.

Crude oil imports in the world’s third-biggest oil consumer fell 2.4 percent last month from a year earlier to 16.87 million kl (3.42 million bpd).

Japan’s imports of Iranian crude oil last month fell to zero for the first time since 1981, the data also showed, as Iran’s No.3 oil buyer trimmed cargo loadings to skirt a European Union insurance ban that took effect on July 1.

Meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami sent radiation spewing over large areas, forcing more than 160,0000 people to flee. In the following months, all Japan’s remaining reactors were shut for safety checks. Two reactors resumed operation last month.

Following is a table of oil statistics for July. Figures are converted from kilolitres to barrels per day (bpd) unless noted. Percentage changes are based on bpd, not kilolitres. Inventory volumes are in barrels.

	Product/Volume     July        June     M/M(%)  Yr/Yr(%) 

          Crude Imports  3,423,682   3,228,162      6.1      -2.4 

       Crude Throughput  3,330,434   3,051,893      9.1      -0.3 

      Direct crude burn    168,256     234,194    -28.2      11.6 

      Oil product sales  3,205,166   3,004,117      6.7       1.7 

               gasoline  1,013,826     929,895      9.0      -1.5 

               kerosene    133,808     123,508      8.3       7.9 

                naphtha    718,339     684,784      4.9      -7.8 

    Oil product imports    656,083     629,430      4.2       5.5 

               gasoline     67,185      66,220      1.5       1.8 

               kerosene           0           0   n.a         n.a 

                naphtha    413,182     433,377     -4.7      -7.2 

    Oil product exports    468,629     459,545      2.0     -17.3 

               gasoline      5,411       6,176    -12.4     -55.6 

               kerosene      4,758       6,067    -21.6     -41.7 

               jet fuel    196,071     181,640      7.9      -6.1 

                gas oil    120,264     121,903     -1.3     -43.1 

          fuel oil B, C    123,020     131,252     -6.3       1.0 

        Refinery Output  3,106,282   2,892,074      7.4      -1.2 

               gasoline    938,976     834,316     12.5      -1.8 

               kerosene    198,767     159,865     24.3       0.1 

                naphtha    324,216     315,746      2.7      -2.9 

               jet fuel    245,785     265,306     -7.4      -7.9 

                gas oil    680,896     657,364      3.6      -8.0 

    Month end Inventory     July        June     M/M(%)  Yr/Yr(%) 

                  Crude     104.461     106.676    -2.1       0.0 

               Products      73.878      70.858     4.3       1.3 

               gasoline      14.110      13.635     3.8      11.3 

               kerosene      14.522      12.754    13.9     -10.5 

      Refinery run rate        July        June  M/M(pt  Yr/Yr(pt 

                    (%)        74.3          68     6.3       2.1

(1 kl=6.2898 barrels)

(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Joseph Radford)

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL4E8JV25P20120831