Belarus undersupplies gasoline to Russia

• 6.08.2013, 7:39

Russia will limit petrol exports due to the failure of shipments from Belarus.

The Vedomosti newspaper reports about that referring to several participants of a meeting of the operational team at the ministry, which took place last Friday.

From the start of July wholesale prices have grown by 20%, which caused a concern with independent gas station owners. According to the Central Control Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex, the production of high-octane gasoline has dropped by 131 800 tons down to 2,155 million tons. From 1 to 23 July the oilers exported 160 900 tons of petrol, according to Energy Ministry’s preliminary data.

One of the reasons for the gasoline price growth – the reduction of petrol shipments from Belarus, the meeting’s participant say. Petrol production and consumption is balance in Russia throughout the year. But the demand grows faster than the supply, so there will inevitably be a deficiency without additional shipments of Belarusian petrol, one of the newspaper’s interlocutors highlights. Moscow and Minsk agreed on the imports of 3.3 million tons of Belarusian oil products in 2013. So far 630000 tons were shipped, according to the deputy head of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Office Anatoly Golomolzin.

It is yet unknown, whether the verbal recommendation of the Energy Ministry not to export petrol will be put in a document.