Oil demand may jump in the new year as US refiners plan to take fewer units offline than last winter, freeing them up to churn out more fuel. (Bloomberg) — Oil demand may jump in the new year as U.S. refiners plan to take fewer units offline than last winter, freeing them up to churn out more fuel. Crude unit shutdowns in the first two months of the year are expected to be 35 percent below winter 2017, according to data from Energy Aspects Ltd. March outages are seen falling 55 percent from the prior year, potentially increasing crude demand at a time when U.S. supplies are already at the lowest since October 2015. “If you have less turnarounds, refiners are going to be demanding more crude, so a lighter turnaround season is supportive for crude prices,” Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston, said by telephone. […]