Belneftekhim: Fuel situation on Belarus' domestic market stable
The fuel situation on Belarus's domestic market is stable. Vladimir Sizov, Deputy Chairman of the Belneftekhim concern, told reporters, according to BELTA.
Vladimir Sizov emphasized that now, as at any other time of year, the domestic market supply situation is stable. "We are fully supplied with the required amount of petroleum products. The situation at gas stations, as we can see, is calm. We are not experiencing any rush or queues that are unusual for the current period of the year or for this day of the week," he said.
There's no rush: Belarusian gas stations are operating as usual.
The deputy chairman noted that summer is a period of vacations and agricultural work, which traditionally leads to increases in both agricultural consumption and sales at gas stations. "We are always prepared for this period, and we have sufficient petroleum products that we plan in advance. We anticipate a slight increase in sales this year, and we are managing it quite easily," added Vladimir Sizov.
He emphasized that the Belneftekhim concern, Belarusian oil refineries, and Belorusneft's petroleum product supply system operate a well-established system, which allows the concern to carefully plan the volumes of petroleum products needed to meet domestic demand. "We take into account both ongoing repairs and changes in seasonal demand, and we guarantee to prioritize any demand that arises in the domestic market. A range of organizational and technical solutions are in place that allow us to plan petroleum product production volumes, storage volumes, and logistical capacity for delivering petroleum products to consumption points. This allows us to confidently say that fuel shortages or unusual queues at gas stations are impossible in the current situation," the deputy chairman added.
"We haven't seen any queues" - drivers describe what's happening at Belarusian gas stations
Vladimir Sizov noted that fuel consumers in Belarus include guests from both the Russian Federation and other countries. "All our guests stop by and evaluate the quality of our fuel. This is also our brand; everyone trusts the quality of Belarusian fuel," he noted, adding that at the same time, there is no unusual increase in demand that would in any way impact the quality of service for Belarusian consumers.
According to the deputy chairman, small queues at gas stations may form ahead of weekends or holidays, when people travel en masse. "This situation is also typical for roads: there may be complications on the way out of the city. The same situation may develop at some gas stations, where people planning a long trip make large stops at gas stations. But this situation is no different from the standard for the current period," Vladimir Sizov noted.
He added that the Belneftekhim concern is pursuing a balanced policy at the state level to adjust petroleum product prices. "Yes, there are some increases—the last time there was a one-kopeck price increase was on July 8th. But I think this is not such a noticeable factor for consumers, and it certainly cannot affect consumer sentiment or the situation with queues at gas stations," the deputy chairman concluded.