Fuel company issues warning of diesel shortage in Southeast US, including NC and SC

RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) — A major company that tracks fuel availability issued a diesel shortage alert Friday in the southeastern United States, including North and South Carolina.

Friday’s notification from Mansfield Energy also includes Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Maryland. The fuel supply and logistics company noted “extremely high prices in the Northeast along with supply disruptions along the Southeast.”

The alert also said that conditions are “rapidly” changing, and the economy is changing “significantly” daily.

“At times, carriers must visit multiple terminals to find supplies, delaying deliveries and straining local trucking capacity,”[ads1]; the Mansfield Energy notice said.

The US Energy Information Administration reported in an October “Winter Fuels Outlook” that East Coast diesel inventories at the end of last month were already 45 percent below the 5-year average.

Manfield also reported that diesel prices are back up to $4.50 this week, the highest prices since June.

“During the past two weeks, diesel supply has fallen to just 25 days of supply, below the 35-40 days that are usually more comfortable for fuel markets,” the company said Friday in a “Week in Review” newsletter.

The company named diesel the “break-out product” of the week.

The US Energy Information Administration reported the third-lowest five-year on-hand inventories of diesel for the lower Atlantic region this week, which includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

The US Energy Information Administration reported that the retail price of diesel for the third quarter was $5.16 per gallon. The EIA estimates that diesel will be at $4.86 per gallon in the fourth quarter of this year.