美國(guó)計(jì)劃出租戰(zhàn)略石油儲(chǔ)備空間

據(jù)路透社4月1日?qǐng)?bào)道，據(jù)兩位知情人士透露，美國(guó)計(jì)劃出租戰(zhàn)略石油儲(chǔ)備空間為能源公司提供石油存儲(chǔ)設(shè)施,此前為緊急儲(chǔ)備購(gòu)買(mǎi)數(shù)百萬(wàn)桶石油的計(jì)劃因資金短缺而被取消。

隨著需求銳減，原油供過(guò)于求的情況可能會(huì)令商業(yè)儲(chǔ)油設(shè)施不堪重負(fù)，這將進(jìn)一步推高全球能源儲(chǔ)備空間的價(jià)格，而戰(zhàn)略石油儲(chǔ)備空間出租計(jì)劃可能有助于美國(guó)應(yīng)對(duì)這一危機(jī)。最初的計(jì)劃是讓美國(guó)能源部(DOE)使用聯(lián)邦資金從國(guó)內(nèi)石油生產(chǎn)商手中購(gòu)買(mǎi)原油，但是國(guó)會(huì)并沒(méi)有批準(zhǔn)購(gòu)買(mǎi)的資金，這迫使能源部上周取消了這項(xiàng)提議。

戰(zhàn)略石油儲(chǔ)備空間出租計(jì)劃是最初計(jì)劃的一個(gè)調(diào)整。修訂后的計(jì)劃將幫助交易員和其他石油廠商在危機(jī)結(jié)束后出售儲(chǔ)存的原油，以渡過(guò)油價(jià)急劇下跌的難關(guān)。

俄克拉何馬州庫(kù)欣市是美國(guó)主要的商業(yè)石油倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)中心，但很快存儲(chǔ)空間就被填滿。

美國(guó)戰(zhàn)略石油儲(chǔ)備有7700萬(wàn)桶的閑置產(chǎn)能，略低于該國(guó)四天的使用量。目前，在德克薩斯州和路易斯安那州海岸的鹽穴中儲(chǔ)存著大約6.35億桶石油。目前尚不清楚美國(guó)能源部是否曾將鹽穴中的存儲(chǔ)空間出租給私營(yíng)公司。

3月份美國(guó)原油期貨下跌54%，創(chuàng)下該基準(zhǔn)指數(shù)歷史上最大的月度跌幅。本周早些時(shí)候，美國(guó)最重要品級(jí)原油現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格約為每桶10美元，為20多年來(lái)的最低水平。

鄒勤 摘譯自 路透社

原文如下：

U.S. aims to lease space in emergency oil stockpile, after buying plan canceled - sources

The Trump administration plans to lease out space for energy companies to store oil in the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after a previous effort to buy millions of barrels for the emergency stockpile was canceled over a lack of funding, according to two people briefed on the matter.

The new plan could help the United States deal with a growing glut of crude oil that risks overwhelming commercial storage tanks and sending world energy prices deeper into a tailspin as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand for fuel. It could be announced as soon as Wednesday, the sources said.

The plan is a change of tack from the initial scheme, which would have had the Department of Energy (DOE) purchase crude from domestic drilers using federal funds.

But Congress did not approve funds for the buys, forcing the Energy Department last week to cancel the proposal.

The revised plan would help traders and others as they try to ride out a precipitous drop in the price of oil by storing crude for sale later once the crisis is over.

The country’s main commercial storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma is quickly filling up.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve has 77 million barrels of free capacity, a little less than the country uses in four days. It currently holds about 635 million barrels of oil in salt caverns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

It was not clear if the DOE has ever before leased space in the caverns to private companies.

U.S. oil futures lost 54% in March, the biggest monthly percentage decline in the benchmark’s history. The country’s flagship physical crude oil grade traded at about $10 a barrel, the lowest in more than two decades, earlier this week.