California Jet Fuel Stockpile Plunges 25 Pct Amid West Asia War-induced Oil Disruptions

LOS ANGELES, April 25 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 per cent from last year's peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in West Asia disrupts global oil supplies.

Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state's jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, reported Xinhua quoting a Los Angeles Times report Friday, citing government data.

California refines much of its own fuel but still relies on crude oil imports. The state has the capacity to refine around 200,000 barrels of jet fuel per day. In 2025, 61 per cent of crude oil supply to California's refineries came from foreign sources, while around 23 percent came from inside the state, down from 35 per cent five years ago, according to the report.

The supply is shrinking as a global shortage is affecting travellers' summer plans with canceled flights and higher fares. It could even affect plans for people coming to Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup, which starts in June, Mike Duignan, a professor at Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University, told the newspaper.

California's relative isolation from the national pipeline network makes it particularly vulnerable to fuel shortages.

The war in West Asia is straining global energy supplies and sending ripple effects throughout the economy. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned last week that Europe may have only about six weeks of jet fuel remaining if current supply disruptions persist. 

--BERNAMA-XINHUA