GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Six months into the war in Iran, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain at a standstill, and gas prices continue to rise — but a GasBuddy analyst says refinery attacks may be doing even more damage at the pump.
Fighting is ongoing, and traffic through the Strait has continued to see delays, but Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy says Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries are having an outsized impact on what Americans pay for gas.
"It's all been about refineries. Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have continued. Last week saw another major refinery, 300,000 barrels a day, being attacked by Ukraine. To put that in perspective, the massive BP refinery in Northwest Indiana is about 430,000 barrels a day," De Haan said.
Even as oil prices fall, gas prices continue to rise when refineries are not operating to process that oil into fuel. More and more refineries have been taken out of commission by the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
But Russian refinery outages are not the only factor driving prices higher. A major refinery in Kuwait is also affected by the Strait of Hormuz slowdown.
"Huge new refinery in Kuwait, the size of two of BP's Northwest Indiana refineries. If oil's not going through the Strait, neither is the gasoline or diesel that that refinery processes. So it's not completely just Ukraine attacking Russia's oil refineries," De Haan said.
Much of Europe relies on Russian refineries for its gas, and many countries have been turning to Gulf Coast refineries to supply gas and diesel as a result.
For West Michigan drivers, De Haan expects another price cycle later this week due to continued fighting. He recommends filling up now, even if prices seem high, because prices are expected to climb further this week.
West Michigan drivers are seeing varying gas prices depending on their county, with some areas topping $4.20 per gallon, according to GasBuddy data from Tuesday morning.
Here is a breakdown of average gas prices by county:
- Kent County: $4.20 per gallon
- Ottawa County: $4.12 per gallon
- Muskegon County: $4.05 per gallon
- Kalamazoo County: $4.20 per gallon
The Grand Rapids metro area average sits at $3.91 per gallon.
These prices reflect the most up-to-date averages for each entire county, so prices at individual stations may differ.
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