HOUSTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Wholesale California gasolineand diesel differentials rose on Friday as planned work rampedup at a San Francisco-area refinery and refiner buying increasedahead of the U.S. Labor Day holiday, traders said.
Refiners also sought to lower inventories of summer-gradegasoline as the region approaches its switch to winter grade. Atrader said at least four gasoline export cargoes were slated tobe loaded and moved out this week to Mexico, Hawaii and Canada.
The planned work that started up this week was at RoyalDutch Shell's 156,400 barrel per day (bpd) refinery inMartinez, California, according to traders.
September-delivery Los Angeles CARBOB gasoline differentialsclimbed 5.25 cents per gallon from a half-cent discount to a4.75-cent premium over October RBOB futures on the New YorkMercantile Exchange, traders said.
San Francisco Bay market CARBOB was seen a penny over theL.A. price, also having moved from a discount to a premium overNYMEX RBOB.
Gasoline in the Portland, Oregon, market was seen at 3 centsover September NYMEX RBOB.
Los Angeles CARB diesel, named for the California AirResources Board that determines it formula, rose by a penny pergallon to 1.5 cents/2.5 cents over October heating oil futures,while San Francisco CARB diesel gained 2.75 cents per gallon totrade at 3.75 cents over, traders said.
Portland diesel slipped by 1.25 cents per gallon to a1.25-cent discount to September NYMEX heating oil.
L.A. jet fuel differentials retreated by half a cent pergallon to 4.5 cents/3.5 cents under October NYMEX heating oil.
(Reporting by Kristen Hays; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
