An empty price indicating board is seen at a gas station which was running out of fuel, diesel and gas on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine, March 12, 2022. REUTERS
KYIV, March 30 (Reuters) – Ukraine has stepped up diesel fuel imports and analysts do not expect the country to face a fuel shortage next month.
After Russian missile strikes virtually destroyed Ukraine’s domestic refining capacity, it became almost entirely dependent on imported fuel, sourcing supplies from western, central and southern Europe.
The Kyiv-based Enkorr fuel consultancy said in a report on Monday that over the four days of the week from March 23 to March 26, average daily diesel deliveries reached 21,400 metric tons, up from 19,400 tons over the same period a week earlier.
“If the current pace continues, March imports could total 565,000 tons, exceeding earlier expectations of 522,000 tons and standing 9% higher than in the same period last year,” the consultancy said.
There is no clear risk of a shortage, it added, citing traders.
The Ukrainian energy ministry told Reuters last week that the diesel market was fully supplied for March and that about 70% of April’s required supply had been secured.
Enkorr said this month that traders had pegged the increase in wholesale diesel prices because of the war in the Middle East at nearly 50% in less than a month.
Reporting by Pavel Polityuk Editing by David Goodman
