� NEFI: ASTM APPROVES HEATING OIL SPEC FOR UP TO 50 % BIODIESEL BLENDS
The specification for fuel oils, ASTM D396, has been revised to include grades for fuel blends containing 21 % to 50 % biodiesel, the National Energy & Fuels Institute reports.
ASTM D396-26a will enable the industry to promote standardized equipment compatibility, lower particulate and sulfur emissions, and reduced maintenance, the Institute informed its members, noting further that the revision passed with no objections,“ underscoring broad industry support and confidence in higher biodiesel blends.”
NEFI said the new ASTM D396-26a standard reflects the technical infrastructure NEFI and its partners have championed for years, through ongoing commitment to environmental security, energy choice, and reduced emissions as delineated in the Providence Resolution of 2019 and the Boston Resolution of 2025.
“ The updated ASTM specification is nothing short of a milestone that gives retail dealers the technical standard they need to deliver higher blends of cleaner-burning renewable fuel with confidence,” said Jim Collura, NEFI President and CEO.“ We are grateful to Clean Fuels Alliance America, NORA, and the Oilheat equipment manufacturers whose leadership, research, and technical expertise helped make this possible. NEFI is proud to have supported their extraordinary efforts, and our members are ready to put this standard to work in the marketplace for the benefit of consumers, the environment, and our industry’ s long-term competitiveness.”
EIA SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK
Forecast overview Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz continue to be limited causing oil storage to fill quickly in countries that rely on the waterway for exports. As a result, we estimate that Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain collectively shut in 7.5 million barrels per day( b / d) of crude oil production in March. We assess that production shut-ins will rise to 9.1 million b / d in April. In this outlook, we assume the conflict does not persist past April and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resumes. Under those assumptions, we expect production shut-ins will fall to 6.7 million b / d in May and return close to pre-conflict levels in late 2026.
The Brent crude oil spot price averaged $ 103 per barrel( b) in March, and we expect it to peak in the second quarter of 2026( 2Q26) at $ 115 / b before easing as production shut-ins slowly abate. We maintain a risk premium on crude oil prices throughout the forecast period as we expect uncertainty around future supply disruptions to keep prices above pre-conflict levels. We forecast the Brent crude oil price will fall below $ 90 / b in 4Q26 and average $ 76 / b in 2027. This price forecast is highly dependent on our assumptions of both the duration of conflict in the Middle East and resulting outages in oil production. The spread between the Brent crude oil spot price and West
Texas Intermediate( WTI) crude oil spot price increased, averaging $ 12 / b in March as the conflict in the Middle East pushed the Brent spot price higher than WTI. The Brent spot 14 MAY 2026 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www. fueloilnews. com