All about Baku: fuel restrictions lifted in 15 regions of Russia
In October, restrictions on the sale of fuel at gas stations were lifted in 15 regions, Izvestia estimated. The situation with the availability of gasoline is improving: Refineries are coming out of repairs faster and strengthening the protection of their facilities. Rosstat recorded price reductions in more than 50 regions during the week from October 20 to October 26. The State Duma noted that the measures taken by the authorities contributed to the stabilization of the situation. However, experts believe that a significant reduction in the cost of fuel in retail should not be expected.
Which regions are fully supplied with fuel
Authorities and companies in several regions of the Russian Federation lifted restrictions on fuel supplies at gas stations in October. Now drivers can refuel freely in the Ryazan, Lipetsk, Kostroma, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Tomsk, Vladimir regions, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Stavropol, Karelia and Mordovia. Restrictions have been completely lifted in Sevastopol and Crimea, where the situation has been one of the most tense since the beginning of the fuel crisis. The authorities of these regions were forced to introduce QR-code refueling and set price caps.
Since about the beginning of summer, there has been a shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel amid drone attacks on Russian refineries. As a result, car refueling has been restricted in different regions. New bans and mechanisms were periodically introduced by regional authorities or the gas stations themselves. Among such measures are limits on the supply of fuel in one hand, a system of even and odd days depending on the registration number of the car, as well as a ban on refueling in cans.
Restrictions remain in place in some regions. So, in the Tambov region, there are still limits on the supply of fuel in one hand and a ban on refueling in cans, but the even-odd system has already been canceled. The Information Policy Committee of the Leningrad Region informed Izvestia that there may still be difficulties with fuel supplies in some areas of the region. The Department of Economy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug also told the editorial board that some gas stations still have restrictions on the volume of fuel supply and a ban on refueling in cans, but the situation with the availability of fuel is improving.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the Ministry of Energy, major oil companies and regional administrations.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in mid-October that the situation in the Russian fuel market is now much better than a month earlier, and several refineries are out of repair. According to him, this is due, in particular, to increased protection of facilities. At the same time, the domestic market is fully supplied with diesel fuel, problems remain only in the gasoline sector.
Dmitry Gusev, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Reliable Partner Association, explained that the stabilization of the fuel shortage situation was also influenced by a decrease in seasonal demand. Gasoline and diesel consumption traditionally decreases after the end of the autumn sowing campaign and the holiday season.
In the week from October 20 to October 26, cheaper gasoline was recorded in 57 regions of the Russian Federation. It was most noticeable in the Kamchatka Territory (-12.6%) and the Ivanovo Region (-11.4%), Rosstat reported. The average cost of gasoline in the country dropped to 98.4 rubles per liter, while the price of diesel fuel increased to 100 rubles.
According to the analytical company OMT Consult, which tracks more than 18 thousand Gas stations in Russia, from October 19 to October 26, fuel also fell in price. The price of AI-98/100 decreased by 0.41 rubles, to 104.92 rubles per liter, AI-95 — by 1.33 rubles, to 77.51 rubles, AI-92 — by 1.54 rubles, to 72.48 rubles. Diesel fuel fell by 0.05 rubles, to 82.87 rubles per liter.
Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, explained that prices at the gas stations of vertically integrated oil companies (VICS) rose within the limits of inflation and seasonal dynamics, unlike at independent gas stations. Now, filling the fuel shortage in the market will encourage independent companies to gradually reduce prices to the level of WINK.
According to the Benzonaut service, which collects information based on driver ratings and open sources, on the afternoon of October 28, AI-92 gasoline was available at 42% of gas stations in Russia, AI-95 — by 34%, diesel fuel — by 37%. High-octane gasoline grades AI-98 and AI—100 were much less common - only at 1% and 3% of gas stations, respectively.
According to Yuri Stankevich, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy, when fuel is scarce, the availability of high-octane grades AI-98 and AI-100 decreases the most. Their production at refineries is technologically more complicated, and output volumes are significantly lower than those of the mass-produced AI-92 and AI-95. Currently, interruptions in the supply of such brands of gasoline are local, the deputy noted.
What measures have affected the elimination of the deficit
In recent months, the authorities have taken a number of measures to stabilize the situation on the fuel market. In particular, they imposed a ban on the export of petroleum products, allowed the sale of fuels of a lower environmental class, changed the rules of exchange trading and the conditions of operation of the damping mechanism for oil companies. In addition, gasoline and diesel fuel imports have begun to saturate the domestic market.
According to Yuri Stankevich, the ban on exports, the acceleration of refinery repairs, the adjustment of the damper mechanism and the conclusion of agreements between the authorities and independent gas stations had the greatest effect.
During periods of peak demand, the share of imported fuel in the market may temporarily increase, but it remains insignificant nationwide, the deputy explained. According to estimates based on data from past periods of acute shortages, imports account for up to 3-5% of total consumption. It does not serve as a basic fuel source for the country, but it is of critical importance for regions far from large refineries or facing disruptions in transport supplies. In October, the need for imports is decreasing, the expert noted.
Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market, considers the ban on the export of diesel fuel to be the most effective measure. The suspension of supplies allowed the domestic market to stabilize. In October, the government partially relaxed the restrictions, allowing 500,000 tons of diesel to be shipped to the world market under agreements with the United States.
At the same time, a noticeable decrease in retail fuel prices is unlikely to be expected, he believes. In his opinion, the current situation has brought prices to a new base level.
Currently, the availability of fuel is primarily affected by unplanned refinery repairs, or rather, the ratio of technologically simpler and more complex processing capacities, the expert believes. The timing of the restoration of enterprises depends on the need to import equipment for the repair of installations.
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