随着廉价原油运抵炼油厂，汽油和柴油价格可能会下降
联邦石油和天然气部长 Hardeep Singh Puri 表示，一旦廉价的原油进口运抵国内炼油厂，印度的零售燃料价格可能会迎来下调。尽管国际市场的波动影响了成本，但政府正在密切关注低价库存的到货情况，以期为消费者减轻负担。
滞后效应：为什么价格尚未下降
尽管国际原油价格走软，但目前燃料价格保持稳定的主要原因是石油营销公司 (OMCs) 持有的现有库存。Puri 部长在 Sonbhadra 的新闻发布会上解释说，OMCs 目前正在加工以较高历史价格购买的原油库存。
“目前，各公司持有以较高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，”Puri 表示。这种“滞后效应”意味着，即使全球基准价格下跌，印度的零售加油站价格也只有在昂贵的库存耗尽且新的廉价供应得到加工后，才能体现出这些降幅。
为国内燃料定价策略辩护
在回应对通货膨胀和运输成本上升的担忧时，部长为政府的定价机制进行了辩护。他指出，虽然西亚的地缘政治紧张局势和霍尔木兹海峡附近的供应中断给能源市场带来了压力，但印度对价格波动的管理比大多数国家更为有效。
Puri 强调，政府已通过在 2021 年 11 月、2022 年 5 月以及最近降低汽油和柴油的中央消费税，积极采取干预措施以保护消费者。这些措施有效地为这两种燃料每升分担了约 ₹10 的负担。在将印度的表现与世界其他地区进行比较时，部长声称，在 193 个联合国会员国中，只有日本的石油价格涨幅低于印度。
石油营销公司面临的财务压力
The stability in consumer prices has come at a significant cost to the industry. The Minister revealed that oil marketing companies are currently facing losses of approximately ₹1,000 crore per day. Despite these massive operational losses, the government has prioritized shielding the common man from the full brunt of rising crude costs and a weakening rupee.
While petrol and diesel prices have seen a marginal increase of about ₹7.5 to ₹7.6 per litre since the onset of the recent Middle East crisis, the Minister argued that, compared to the peak volatility during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, prices have remained relatively stable in real terms.
Key Takeaways
- Price Reduction Timeline: Retail petrol and diesel prices may decrease only after the current high-priced crude stocks held by OMCs are replaced by newer, cheaper imports.
- Government Subsidy Impact: The central government has absorbed a cost of nearly ₹10 per litre through excise duty cuts to protect consumers from global volatility.
- Industry Strain: OMCs are currently absorbing significant financial hits, reporting daily losses of around ₹1,000 crore to maintain price stability.