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HOUSTON — Hurricane Gustav’s threat to the Gulf Coast halted about 15 percent of U.S. refining capacity Sunday, though for now, prices at the pump have not risen drastically.
However, analysts and others say a prolonged disruption in refining could cause price spikes of 20 cents per gallon or more.
Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Valero Energy Corp., North America’s largest refiner, were among the companies that said they had shut down Gulf Coast refineries.
Altogether, about 2.4 million barrels of refining capacity have been halted, roughly 15 percent of the nation’s total, according to figures from Platts, the energy-information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.
