Russia Aims to Ease Far East Fuel Crisis with Import Duty Cuts and Belarus Boost
The Russian government is taking steps to address a severe fuel shortage in the Far East regions. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has proposed several measures, including the cancellation of import duties on gasoline from certain countries and the increase of gasoline imports from Belarus.
The fuel crisis, particularly acute in Primorye during the peak tourist season, has led to long queues and rapid depletion of supplies at gas stations. Novak's proposals aim to stabilize the situation. He suggested eliminating the 5% import customs duties on gasoline from China, South Korea, and Singapore through specific border checkpoints in the Far East. Additionally, he proposed increasing the import of gasoline to 300,000 tons per month, a significant increase from the current 45,000 tons.
To maintain balance in the central part of the country, the government plans to redirect part of the Russian gasoline from Siberian refineries westward, with a potential volume of around 150,000 tons per month. The use of monomethylaniline, an octane-enhancing additive, will also be allowed for six months to increase the gasoline volume by an additional 50,000 tons per month. Only authorized organizations, such as 'Rosneft', NNK JSC, and 'Promsryeimport', will be allowed to supply fuel under these proposals. A price cap on imported petroleum products is also planned to control gas prices, which have soared to critical levels, with AI-95 reaching 78-80 rubles per liter.
These measures aim to saturate the domestic market with gasoline and diesel fuel amid unscheduled repairs at refineries and shortages in some regions. While the name of the company exempted from Novak's directives is not specified, the government's initiative seeks to ensure a stable fuel supply and prevent further price hikes.
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