Russia may extend petrol export ban

YEREVAN, 31 October. /ARKA/. The Russian government is not yet ready to lift the ban on petrol exports, several Kommersant daily’s sources in the oil industry claim.

According to the Kommersant sources, no decision on resuming fuel exports has been made, given the scheduled and unscheduled repairs at refineries, which will continue in November.
One of Kommersant's sources notes that petrol production is now at minimum levels amid a decline in oil refining, and the market saturation required to open exports has not yet been reached, even though demand has fallen.

Thus, lifting the ban will lead to an increase in petrol prices, which is feared by the Russian authorities. The government press service and the secretariat of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak did not respond to Kommersant enquiry for comments.

The government extended the ban on petrol exports, introduced in March and ending in August, until the end of 2024. When the Ministry of Energy proposed extending the embargo in July, it suggested that the ban be imposed for September-October, allowing refineries to export fuel in November-December. However, repairs at refineries dragged on for a longer period than originally expected.-0-