After hitting an all-time high in June, Saudi oil burn dropped by 170,000 b/d in July (see table). While a July drop is unusual, the 1.31mn b/d monthly average was still the second highest July figure on record – behind only 2017’s 1.39mn b/d. Oil burn peaks during the summer when surging demand for air conditioning pumps up electricity consumption, and gas shortages mean power plants have to resort to liquids. Saudi Aramco is steadily increasing gas output, but the gains are struggling to keep up with electricity demand growth. The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) last month released its 1H results, showing that consumption was up 2.3% year-on-year (MEES, 26 August).