French crude imports hit a seven-month high in June as the restart of an Atlantic coast refinery increased demand. According to the latest customs data, France imported 765,000 b/d of crude in June, up from 560,000 b/d in May and 670,000 b/d in April. The increase follows the restart of TotalEnergies' 240,000 b/d Gonfreville refinery. French imports had been particularly low since December when TotalEnergies shut its 222,000 b/d Donges refinery on economic grounds. The refinery will not restart until the first quarter of 2022. The firm also permanently closed its 93,000 b/d Grandpuits refinery around the turn of the year. In the first half of this year, French imports averaged 655,000 b/d, down from 670,000 b/d a year earlier when the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and industrial action over pension rights restricted deliveries. Imports remain well below the 1.1mn b/d in the January-June 2019 period. June saw the largest volume of US crude imports since November, at around 100,000 b/d. Workers at Gonfreville say TotalEnergies wants to take lighter crude at the refinery to boost gasoline yields for export to the US. The US was slightly behind Russia and Iraq, which both shipped 105,000 b/d to France last month.
Kazakhstan was France's largest supplier in January-June, supplying 120,000 b/d, up from 85,000 b/d in the same period last year, with Caspian CPC Blend being lapped up by refiners at the Mediterranean port of Fos-Lavera this year. The US was in second spot, supplying 80,000 b/d in the first half of the year, down from 100,000 b/d a year earlier. Norway, Nigeria, Libya and Algeria all supplied between 50,000-70,000 b/d in January-June. The type of crude imported by France has shifted, partly because of Opec+ output cuts and partly because of higher demand for sweeter crudes to refine into lighter products. This translated into lower imports from Russia and Saudi Arabia, which supplied France with 45,000 b/d and 40,000 b/d respectively in January-June, down from 90,000 b/d and 95,000 b/d in the same period last year. The restart of Gonfreville and the end of maintenance work at Switzerland's 68,000 b/d Cressier refinery, which is fed by pipeline from Fos-Lavera, will support imports for the rest of the year. Crude receipts at Fos-Lavera rose in July, according to Argus tracking. But the closure of Grandpuits means imports are unlikely to reach previous heights.