U.S. operable atmospheric crude distillation capacity stood at 18,160,493 barrels per calendar day on Jan. 1, 2026, a decline of 815,592 barrels per day, or 4.3%, from the January 2020 peak of 18,976,085, according to an analysis of Energy Information Administration Refinery Capacity Report data published by Eco3min.

The chart plots operable capacity as of January 1 from 2010 through 2026. Capacity rose from 17.58 million barrels per day in 2010 to the 2020 peak of 18.98 million, fell to about 17.95 million in 2022, recovered to roughly 18.4 million in 2024 and 2025, and dropped again to 18.16 million in 2026.

Eleven refineries have stopped processing crude since the 2020 peak. Six were hard closures totaling 1,120,622 barrels per day, and five converted to renewable fuels or terminals, removing 603,000 barrels per day. Gross removals reach about 1.72 million barrels per day. Expansions and de-bottlenecking at surviving refineries, including roughly 240,000 barrels per day from ExxonMobil's Beaumont, Texas, expansion in 2023, offset part of that loss.

The most recent closures cluster on the West Coast and Gulf Coast. LyondellBasell shut its 263,776 barrel-per-day Houston refinery in March 2025. Phillips 66 closed its 138,700 barrel-per-day Los Angeles refinery in October 2025. Valero ceased refining at its 145,000 barrel-per-day Benicia, California, refinery in early 2026, though the January 2026 figure still counts it. Adjusting for Benicia puts the net decline closer to 960,000 barrels per day, or 5.1%.

The Los Angeles closure alone removed about 5% of West Coast capacity. California accounts for four of the eleven sites, totaling 564,700 barrels per day.

The analysis notes that surviving refineries run at high utilization and that the United States has remained a net exporter of refined products throughout the period.

Source: Eco3min - https://eco3min.fr/en/us-refinery-closures-since-2020-2/