Some U.S. Refiners Deferring Maintenance from 2026 to 2027

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Written by Jesse Broehl, Editor-in-Chief, Breaking Energy News (BEN), and Hillary Stevenson, Vice President, Energy Intelligence, for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Make hay when the sun shines, the saying goes. U.S. refineries are running high throughput rates, making refined products while the operating margins are good. In turn, there is a measurable uptick in maintenance deferrals, with refinery operators moving planned work that had been scheduled for 2026 into 2027.

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Typically, September through November is usually a peak time for fall maintenance, or turnarounds.

However, the Middle East conflict has rattled global and regional energy markets, resulting in higher prices for crude and refined products like gasoline and diesel, boosting profit margins at refineries.

Pre-War View of Scheduled Turnarounds Versus a Post-War, September 2026 View

Comparing IIR Energy's planned schedules for turnarounds pre-war (February 1) and post-war plans as of September 9, a pattern has emerged showing crude unit turnarounds for fall 2026 are lower than had been expected pre-war. Likewise, spring 2027 is also lower. But fall of 2027 is shaping up to be higher than pre-war expectations.

On average, planned crude outages for fall 2026 are 144,000 barrels per day (bpd) lower, and fall 2027 is 283,000 bpd higher, as of September 9 compared to averages as of February 1. To a lesser degree, spring 2027 (January through April) shifted downward 9,000 bpd, according to IIR Energy.

Source: IIR Energy

Refiners Moving Crude Unit Turnarounds Fall 2026 to Fall 2027

The shift can also be seen in individual turnarounds, as kickoff and completion dates are continually being confirmed by IIR Energy, which shows planned work at 10 crude units (seven refineries) moved from fall 2026 to fall 2027, some shifting as recently as August 4.

Key Takeaways

• U.S. refineries are running high throughput rates, making refined products while the operating margins are good.
• In turn, there is a measurable uptick in maintenance deferrals.
• Comparing IIR Energy's planned schedules for turnarounds pre-war (February 1) and post-war plans as of September 9, a pattern has emerged showing crude unit turnarounds for fall 2026 are lower than had been expected pre-war.
• IIR Energy shows planned work at 10 crude units (seven refineries) moved from fall 2026 to fall 2027.

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