More than half of total US oil and gas production came offline in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Ida by Aug. 27, and Louisiana's refining and petrochemical operators were bracing for the heavy winds and the storm surge of a major hurricane.
Ida was upgraded from Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph on Aug. 29, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Aug. 27 that about 58.5% of the US Gulf's crude oil, or 1.065 million b/d, was already was shut in, as well as 48.8% of the region's approximately 2.2 Bcf/d of natural gas production, or about 1.088 Bcf/d. Ida is expected to become the first major hurricane of 2021 to significantly impact oil, gas and refining operations.
Close to 4 million b/d of operating refinery capacity is in the path of Ida as well, primarily in Louisiana. Ida's wind speed will play a major role in how hard it strikes at the heart of USGC refining centers, said Rick Joswick, head of oil pricing and trade flow analytics at S&P Global Platts Analytics.
Joswick said if the hurricane came in with the 120 mph winds forecast earlier, it would be "a major factor." Category 4 hurricanes have winds of at least 131 mph.
Source: SP Global