As of 4:00 a.m. central time on October 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects Hurricane Isaias to make landfall on the Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, creating the potential for significant disruptions to energy infrastructure. Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and will be the largest storm system to make landfall in the region since Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

In July 2026, U.S. imports of crude oil from Venezuela averaged 701,000 barrels per day (b/d), the most since May 2017, before decreasing to 655,000 b/d in August, according to data published in our Petroleum Supply Monthly

Particularly high refinery margins for distillate fuel oil and jet fuel have contributed to shifts in the refinery yields of major products in 2026. Data from our latest Petroleum Supply Monthly—which includes data through August 2026—indicate refinery yields of gasoline have decreased significantly this year to support increased production of distillate fuel oil and jet fuel, sometimes referred to as middle distillates due to their relative cut points in the oil refining process.

Global crude oil refinery inputs fell by 4.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in the second quarter of 2026 (2Q26), or 6%, following the start of conflict in late February in the Middle East, according to data from Kpler. Throughput then increased by 1.8 million b/d in the third quarter, primarily as refiners in the region adjusted to new trade flows.

Utility-scale solar developers are increasingly co-locating battery storage with new solar photovoltaic capacity. As of September 2026, over 16% of new utility-scale solar capacity added this year is co-located with operable battery storage, compared with 2% in 2017, according to data reported to EIA by operators.