The Russian government is keen to partially lift its ban on diesel exports in future days, the daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources.
The banning would be lifted only on pipeline exports of diesel and volumes may be subject to quotas to evade waves in wholesale costs, the newspaper reported.
For now, the ban on gasoline exports will remain in force.
Russia’s exports of diesel are the enormous of all kinds of oil products. The nation exported 4.817 million tons of gasoline and almost 35 million tons of diesel prior year.
The newspaper also said that Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister, is set to conduct a weekly meeting later on Wednesday with oil firms to concern the potential easing of the ban.
The office of Novak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, the deputy prime minister said that Moscow may present quotas on fuel exports if a complete ban on cross-border supplies imposed on September 21 does not succeed in carrying down high gasoline and diesel costs.
Russian gasoline and diesel costs have continued to slide on the local exchange. Since the ban was presented, gasoline costs have plunged by nearly 10 percent, while diesel costs plunged by 23 percent.
Storage facilities of Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft have been almost depleted and redirecting the additional volumes to the domestic market was nearly technologically impossible, Kommersant reports.
On Tuesday, Novak said the state was not scheduling any time structure for the fuel export ban.
Expectations differ on how long the efforts will be in effect. JP Morgan said it could stay a couple of weeks until harvest season ends in October, while FGE Energy said refilling Russian gasoline stocks may take up to two months.
Despite being one of the globe’s top oil producers, Moscow has suffered deficiencies in gasoline and diesel in current months as high export costs made it more beneficial for refiners to sell their products abroad.
