據世界石油網站3月10日報道 在全球原油價格自1991年以來暴跌最多之后，美國暫停了從國家緊急儲備中出售1200萬桶石油的計劃。

美國能源部發言人Jess Szymanski周二在一份聲明中表示：“鑒于目前的石油市場，現在不是出售石油的最佳時機。”

從戰略石油儲備中出售石油是計劃在2020財政年度為政府項目籌集4.5億美元的定期削減計劃的一部分。周一，沙特阿拉伯和俄羅斯爆發價格戰，導致原油價格暴跌，從而擴大了因冠狀病毒蔓延而造成的損失，這一時機因此受到質疑。

投標截止日期不遲于3月11日，石油將于4月和5月交付。

包括Capital Alpha Partners LLC公司Jim Lucier在內的分析師已經預料到了這一決定，他在周一表示：“我們有可能推遲戰略石油儲備的銷售，直到情況有所好轉。”

上個月，政府提議將緊急儲備的1500萬桶石油出售，作為其2021財年預算計劃的一部分，此前曾提議將其減半。該石油儲備是在上世紀70年代阿拉伯石油禁運之后所建立，也是為了應對卡特里娜颶風等緊急情況而動用。

據彭博社計算，近幾年來，在交貨月份，西德克薩斯中質原油的銷售收入普遍高于平均價格，但這并不能說明政府所出售的石油種類。

王磊 摘譯自 世界石油

原文如下：

U.S. suspends sale from Strategic Petroleum Reserve on price dive

The administration suspended a planned sale of 12 MMbbl of oil from the nation’s emergency reserves after world crude prices plunged the most since 1991.

“Given current oil markets, this is not the optimal time for the sale,” Jess Szymanski, a spokeswoman for the Energy Department, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The sale from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was part of a regular drawdown schedule intended to raise $450 million for government programs in fiscal year 2020. That timing came into question after crude slumped on Monday as a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, extending losses spurred by the spreading coronavirus.

Bids had been due no later than March 11 and the oil was going to be delivered in April and May.

The decision had been anticipated by analysts including Jim Lucier from Capital Alpha Partners LLC, who said on Monday that “it’s reasonably likely that we can delay or defer the SPR sales until the worst of this is over.”

Last month, the administration proposed selling 15 million barrels of oil from the emergency stockpile as part of its fiscal 2021 budget plan and has previously proposed reducing it by half. The oil reserve, set up after the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, has also been tapped in response to emergencies, such as Hurricane Katrina.

In recent years, sales have generally earned more than the average West Texas Intermediate crude price during the month of delivery, according to Bloomberg calculations. But that doesn’t account for the type of oil the government is selling.