据油价网8月16日报道，美国汽油价格已飙升至今年最高水平，继续不断攀升。美国国内平均汽油价格从一个月前的每加仑3.564美元上涨至每加仑3.873美元，而柴油价格现在平均每加仑4.338美元，较一个月前的每加仑3.851美元上涨。在加利福尼亚州和华盛顿州，价格已飙升至每加仑5美元以上。

强劲的需求和一系列炼油厂停产事件主要是近期上涨的原因，同时市场紧缩也推高了原油价格。德尔塔公司位于特雷纳的每日产能18.5万桶的炼油厂以及Irving Oil位于加拿大New Brunswick省每日产能32万桶的石油炼厂将在9月大部分时间和10月的一部分时间内停产，影响了地区约9%的产品供应。

"在这个时候看到价格上涨是相当不正常的。通常我们会看到价格在秋季下降”，石油价格追踪网站GasBuddy.com的石油分析主管帕特里克·德哈恩（Patrick De Haan）在接受路透社采访时表示。

对于美国的汽车司机来说这是一件不幸的事，高盛预测本月零售汽油价格可能高达每加仑3.90美元，并且由于供应紧张可能会持续走高。

美国每周汽油库存仍然低于年均库存水平，今年以来对汽油价格施加了更大压力。本月美国总汽油库存下降至2.164亿桶。

但高油价只是美国消费者面临能源挑战的一部分。历史高温的夏季来临大大增加了美国人的用电量，许多人现在难以承受飙升的电费。根据美国能源信息署（EIA）的数据，平均每户家庭每年在空调上花费约262美元，在湿热的东南部地区可能高达525美元。

胡耀东 译自 油价网

原文如下：

U.S. Gas Prices Hit Year High As Market Tightens

U.S. gasoline prices have surged to their highest level this year, continuing their relentless climb. National average gas prices in the United States have inched up to $3.873 per gallon from $3.564 a month ago, while a gallon of diesel now averages $4.338 from $3.851 a month ago. In California and Washington, prices have surged above $5 a gallon.

Strong demand and a series of refinery outages are largely to blame for the recent rise, while tightening markets have also been pushing crude prices up. Delta's 185,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Trainer as well as Irving Oil's 320,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in New Brunswick, Canada will be down for much of September and part of October, affecting about 9% of the product supplied in their regions.

"It is fairly abnormal to see prices going up" at this time of the year. We tend to see prices declining going into the fall," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at price tracker GasBuddy.com, has told Reuters.

Unfortunately for the U.S. motorist, Goldman Sachs has predicted that retail gasoline prices will average as high as $3.90 a gallon this month and could remain high as supplies remain tight.

Weekly U.S. gasoline stockpiles remain below the five-year average of inventories throughout this year, putting more pressure on gas prices. Total U.S. gasoline stocks in the current month fell to 216.4 million barrels, the fifth decline in six weeks.

But high gas prices are just part of the energy challenges facing the U.S. consumer. A summer of record-breaking heat has dramatically increased electricity consumption for Americans with many now struggling to keep up with their skyrocketing electric bills. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration(EIA), the average household spends about $262 a year on air conditioning, with costs going as high as $525 in the hot and humid Southeast.