Gulf Coast Gasoline Ries on Shut Valero Catalytic Cracker

Gulf Coast gasoline strengthened to the highest level in a week as Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) shut a catalytic cracker for unplanned maintenance at its Norco refinery in Louisiana.

The 100,000-barrel-a-day unit is expected to resume service before the end of the month, Bill Day, a San Antonio-based spokesman, said in an e-mail.

The premium for reformulated, 87-octane gasoline, or RBOB, in the Gulf Coast, rose 3.75 cents a gallon to 5.5 cents a gallon versus futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12:00 p.m., according to Bloomberg data. It was the highest level since Aug. 3.

Valero’s Corpus Christi refineries in Texas reported flaring, notices yesterday from the county’s local emergency planning committee show.

“There is some flaring due to work on some compressors at the Quintana section of the Corpus Christi East Plant,” Bill Day, a San Antonio-based spokesman said by e-mail yesterday.

The work is ongoing, but we don’t expect a material impact to production there, he said today.

RBOB New York Harbor held at a premium of 13 cents a gallon versus futures.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Burkhardt in New York at pburkhardt@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dan Stets at dstets@bloomberg.net.