International buyers of US crude exports are increasingly seeking specific grades that once made up the blended pool of West Texas Intermediate.
Buyers can request these "neat" barrels, thanks in part to new pipelines from the Permian to the Texas Gulf Coast that allow shippers to separate different grades into batches.
Jenna Delaney, S&P Global Platts Analytics' team lead of North American oil analytics, and Laura Huchzermeyer, Platts managing editor for America's crude oil, tell us how the US crude stream is getting lighter, what international buyers want in a WTI barrel, and about the emergence of new streams like West Texas Light and West Texas Condensate.