Belarus eager to get 23 million tonnes of Russian oil in 2014

Belarus plans to get 23 million tonnes of oil from Russia in 2014 in line with the fuel balance, First Deputy Economy Minister Anatoly Filonov told media on 31 October.

BelTA has learned that the Russian Energy Ministry had sent an invitation to discuss this year’s balance and to consider the draft balance for the next year taking into account the fulfillment of this year’s.

This year Belarus has been getting less oil than the balance specifies. “But we will argue in favor of the need to execute the balance in full — 23 million tonnes,” said the First Deputy Economy Minister. He remarked that Belarus received less oil in September and October. In September Belarus failed to get 400,000 tonnes of oil, no estimates are available for October so far. Meanwhile, the transportation of oil by railroad has increased.

When asked about selling Belarusian oil products to Russia, Anatoly Filonov said: “We satisfy Russia’s demand for oil products in full. We buy oil at the market price and naturally the costs have to be compensated for. Therefore, the oil products are sold at the market price using a relevant formula,” he said. The price depends on exchange quotations minus taxes and transportation costs. Therefore, Russia has no complaints about Belarus’ market price for oil products, said the official. Not only Belarusian oil refineries sell their oil products via the Russian commodity exchange, Russian oil refineries do the same. The shipment of oil products is determined by market demand. Anatoly Filonov said that it is possible that Belarusian oil products will continue being sold via the commodity exchange the next year, too.

Anatoly Filonov also said that in 2014 Belarus expects to get 22.2 billion m3 of natural gas as part of the Belarus-Russia gas balance. “Although we haven’t started discussing it yet,” said the official. This year Belarus has been getting natural gas in specified amounts.