We're seeing gas prices continue to climb in Northern Nevada. According to AAA, average gas prices in Reno are up around $0.25 since last week.
People in our local area are less than excited about the price jump.
Some say the prices are what they are, and it doesn't deter them from driving while others try to drive around town seeking a deal on gas.
“I do try to look for lower prices if I can, and I will go out of my way to drive. But if I have to pay, I have to pay. That’s all there is to it," said Reno man Donald Klassic. "But normally I do try and look for a deal.”
He adds “I drive to Montana and Minnesota. I’ve had no problems with that at all.”
“Obviously having gas prices be that high sucks right?" said Jessee Buck, another Reno local. "But it’s definitely a lot better than southern California prices. But it’s kind of a bummer that a big city has high prices.”
Gas Buddy says it's due to a loss of a major refinery in northern California that suffered a fire several weeks ago, and now it's being exacerbated by seasonal refinery maintenance, which is something that happens before the summer driving season.
Patrick De Haan, the Head of Petroleum Analysis at Gas Buddy explains “Refineries have a limited ability to supply gasoline right now due to the refinery fire. That refinery fire took that refinery completely offline and other refineries which are doing maintenance which has been scheduled months in advance.”
De Haan says right now demand is relatively low because it's cold outside, but as the driving ramps up in the summer so does the need for gas.
For refineries it usually takes four to six weeks for a turnaround, but unfortunately during that it is more difficult for refineries to produce as much gasoline as needed, and with this refinery fire in California supply is becoming a challenge, therefore prices are up.
He explains more “Especially with California also making the transition back to more expensive car mandated summer gasoline, that essentially fragments the gasoline pool so what’s available is now split into different types of gasoline.”
Reno, however, does not use the car mandated gasoline he's talking about which also has to do with pushing gas prices up.
Not to mention this happens every year when we switch over from winter gas to summer gas. There can be mixes of those gasses that also contribute to the increase in price as it's switching over.
De Haan points out “It’s highly complex, Part of the problem that has the gas prices shoot up significantly because instead of one simple type of gasoline being used across an area, there generally can be five different blends of gasoline that are utilized.”
The refinery suffering from a fire had a lot to do with the increase in prices, but we can get gas from southern California. Still, that's not going to stop prices from jumping.
He says we may see prices to continue to increase over the next week, but they should slow down.
