随着廉价原油运抵精炼厂，汽油和柴油价格可能会下降
联邦石油和天然气部长哈迪普·辛格·普里（Hardeep Singh Puri）暗示，零售汽油和柴油价格在不久的将来可能会下调。这一潜在的缓解取决于价格较低的原油库存运抵印度精炼厂，以替换目前的高成本库存。
滞后效应：为什么价格尚未下降
尽管国际原油价格已显示出走软迹象，但普里部长解释说，这种降价红利不会立即反映在加油站的价格上。目前，石油营销公司（OMCs）正在加工以较高历史价格购买的原油库存。
“当以较低价格购买的原油运抵时，燃料价格有可能下降，”普里在北方邦松布德拉（Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh）举行的新闻发布会上表示。这种“滞后效应”是行业的普遍现实，因为精炼厂必须在将新一批廉价货源带来的成本节约传递给终端消费者之前，先消耗完现有的高价库存。
在全球波动中捍卫国内定价
在回应有关通货膨胀和运输成本上升的担忧时，部长为政府对燃料定价的处理进行了辩护。他指出，尽管存在重大的地缘政治紧张局势——特别是在霍尔木兹海峡周边以及持续不断的中东危机——印度仍设法保护消费者免受全球市场剧烈波动带来的直接冲击。
普里强调了关于为公民提供财政缓冲的几个关键点：
- 消费税削减： 通过在 2021 年 11 月、2022 年 5 月以及最近的多次减税，政府已为汽油和柴油每升承担了约 ₹10 的负担。
- 对比稳定性： 普里声称，印度的价格涨幅被限制在每升约 ₹7.60。他断言，在 193 个联合国成员国中，只有日本的石油价格涨幅低于印度。
- OMC 亏损： 为了维持稳定，OMCs 目前正在承担巨额亏损，估计每天约为 ₹100 亿。
经济背景与区域增长
The discussion on fuel also touched upon the broader macroeconomic landscape. While recent Middle East tensions caused petrol and diesel prices to rise by roughly ₹7.5 per litre, the government maintains that the real-term increase since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict has been effectively neutralized through policy interventions.
In a separate note regarding regional development, the Minister lauded the economic transformation of Uttar Pradesh and specifically the Sonbhadra district. He pointed out that Sonbhadra’s per capita income has surged from ₹43,000 in 2018 to approximately ₹1.2 lakh today. This mirrors the broader growth of Uttar Pradesh, where the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has climbed from ₹13 lakh crore in 2016-17 to nearly ₹36 lakh crore.
Key Takeaways
- Price Relief Timing: Retail fuel prices may decrease once the current high-cost crude inventory is replaced by cheaper shipments currently in transit.
- Government Subsidy: The central government has absorbed nearly ₹10 per litre in costs through excise duty cuts to protect consumers from global volatility.
- OMC Financial Strain: Oil marketing companies are facing significant operational pressure, incurring losses of approximately ₹1,000 crore daily to stabilize domestic prices.