The growth in U.S. refinery utilization slowed markedly in the latest reporting week, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on 18 March 2026. The week-over-week change in utilization rates eased to 0.6%, down from a 1.6% increase in the previous week.
The figures show that while refinery activity is still edging higher, the pace of expansion has moderated compared with the prior period. The “Actual” reading reflects the change in utilization for the current week versus the previous week, whereas the “Previous” figure captures the change recorded in the prior week against the week before that.
This deceleration in the week-over-week growth rate may signal a more cautious ramp-up in refining operations, as market participants track evolving demand dynamics and inventory levels heading into the next reporting periods.
