Kazakhstan is considering importing 385,000 mt of diesel by the end of the year from Russia in order to avoid any shortages, according to local media reports.
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Register NowKazakhstan has already imported 145,000 mt of diesel so far this year, which is part of the planned total volumes of 530,000 mt, which allows it to import another 385,000 mt.
The diesel imports could cover any shortfall by the planned maintenance at the country's Pavlodar refinery in October.
The country plans to produce 4.9 million mt diesel this year, a record amount, up from 4.678 million mt in 2020, due to the completed refinery modernization. Over the first eight months of the year Kazakhstan's refineries have produced 3.27 million mt of diesel, up 9% year on year.
However, consumption is also higher, especially in August, when demand peaked at 519,000 mt, up 84,000 mt from 2020 and up 37,000 from 2019. The increase has been attributed to seasonally higher demand by transit hauliers as diesel prices are lower in Kazakhstan than neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Kazkahstan is considering extending the ban on the export of oil products via road by six months.
On May 9, a six-month ban came into effect on exports of gasoline, diesel and other products.
Export bans have been introduced several times in recent years to ensure sufficient domestic supply, in the face of higher prices in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Russia.