Argus launches first El Paso diesel and gasoline prices

Houston, 11 August 2026

Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has launched new prices for diesel and gasoline produced in the refining hub of El Paso, Texas. These prices are a response to growing US west coast demand for product supplied from the Gulf coast and midcontinent, resulting from a series of refinery closures in California. 

The closures have taken out close to 285,000 b/d of capacity, or about 17pc of the state’s refining base, cutting supply for the whole west coast and changing product flows to Arizona. Buyers there are therefore increasingly taking product from El Paso through the eastern segment of the 125,000 b/d Santa Fe Pacific Pipeline system.

El Paso has more than 300,000 b/d of nearby refining capacity and can also access deliveries from the Gulf coast and southern midcontinent. The city has thus become a supply hub which connects eastern refining complexes with demand in Arizona, west Texas, New Mexico and Mexico itself.

Trade and liquidity are likely to increase in the coming years as pipeline capacity expands between El Paso, Phoenix, California, the Gulf coast and the midcontinent. Proposed projects would add up to 200,000 b/d of new westbound capacity through El Paso towards Arizona, and would also enable greater east-west flexibility across connected pipeline systems. These developments should strengthen El Paso’s role as a balancing point between surplus refining capacity in the central US and west coast and Arizona demand.

Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: “El Paso is evolving into the place where western demand meets eastern supply. Our new El Paso assessments bring important price discovery at the intersection of two vastly different trade hubs. The added transparency in the market will assist trading between Arizona buyers and refineries throughout the Gulf coast and midcontinent. They will also add valuable insights for Mexico importers, who often use cross-border routes out of Texas.”

The new assessments will be for the daily price of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD), regular CBOB and premium CBOB gasoline, published as outright prices and as differentials to the prompt US Gulf coast Colonial pipeline benchmark for each product. They will be published in the Argus US Products report.