The diesel ban will be lifted in due course to prevent refineries from facing a glut and having to cut processing volumes, Novak told
Russia is extending its curb on gasoline exports through year-end as the government battles fuel shortages but plans to lift a ban on diesel exports once the market recovers, said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
The diesel ban will be lifted in due course to prevent refineries from facing a glut and having to cut processing volumes, Novak told reporters in Omsk, Siberia, on Saturday, according to Interfax.
On gasoline, “we also decided at the task force to extend it, both for producers and non-producers. That is, it will be extended until the end of the year,” he said.
Russia has faced a nationwide fuel crunch this summer, with many regions rationing gasoline and diesel sales as Ukraine intensified its attacks on refineries. The government introduced a series of measures in response, including the export bans. The current restrictions run through July 31.
Moscow is considering extending the diesel export ban for another month as Ukraine steps up attacks on the country’s oil industry, Interfax reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the situation who weren’t identified. The move could apply extra pressure to fuel markets already strained by supply disruptions in the Middle East, as Russia is a key global supplier of diesel.
Still, Novak said the fuel situation is stabilizing – that a number of refineries have resumed operations, and the situation at filling stations has “considerably improved.” Russia’s government is discussing additional supplies for Siberia, where the situation is still difficult, he added.
Fuel may be delivered from Kazakhstan, although the surplus supplies available there are low, Novak said.
