Цена бензина АИ-95 на Санкт-Петербургской международной товарно-сырьевой бирже превысила 60 тыс. рублей за тонну — это максимум с конца сентября прошлого года, когда цены на бензин в России начали снижаться после введения временного эмбарго на экспорт топлива, сообщило в четверг, 14 марта, агентство РБК.
Starting from March 1st, Russia has once again imposed a ban on fuel exports, but gasoline prices on the exchange continue to rise, according to the publication. The price of automotive fuel is increasing against the backdrop of drone attacks on major refineries in Russia, which have forced the plants to suspend operations.
The attacked refineries account for 12% of Russia’s capacity
Only on March 12th, a fire broke out at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery as a result of a drone attack, and on the following day, the Ryazan and Novoshakhtinsk refineries were hit. The agency notes that these three facilities account for 12 percent of Russia’s oil processing capacity. The President of Russia has linked these attacks to an attempt to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia.
Earlier this year, other refineries were also shut down due to attacks and equipment failures, as RBC reminds. Repairs were reported at the Volgograd and Tuapse refineries. The Ilysky refinery was also shut down, but soon returned to normal operation.
An RBC source in the fuel market believes that the current rise in gasoline prices is caused only by concerns about supply and demand balance due to the suspension of refinery operations. The scale of the damage caused to the plants is unclear. If it is discovered that the primary oil processing units are damaged, not only the production of different grades of gasoline, but also diesel fuel will be reduced, he pointed out. «The situation for the market is potentially serious, so buyers are hedging their bets by purchasing the goods,» the source explained.
The Russian Ministry of Energy does not see any risks of price increases