Fuel prices increase in Kazakhstan
🌋 Diesel Fuel Production Plummets in Kazakhstan, While Gasoline Soars 🌋
From January to August 2020, the Kazakh landscape witnessed a significant shift in its fuel production. Alarm bells rang as diesel fuel production took a nosedive of 6.7%, compared to the same period the year prior, according to Almaty.tv, citing Liter.kz. Yet, gasoline production bucked the trend, surging by 3.3%.
🌿 The Big Picture 🌿
A deep dive into the stats reveals that the overall volume of oil refining products in Kazakhstan from January-July 2020 amounted to 10.2 million tons, a 9% dip from 2019. Three regions—Atyrau, Pavlodar, and Shymkent—accounted for 86.1% of the total production. Unfortunately, production numbers for these regions plummeted, with Atyrau plunging by 2%, Pavlodar nose-diving by 13.8%, and Shymkent tumbling by 15.4%.
🛢️ Petroleum Products' Puzzle 🛢️
The production of petroleum fuels, distillates, and gasoline experienced a 12.8% decrease from the previous year, with kerosene taking the hardest hit, tumbling a staggering 34.1% to 278.5 thousand tons. Fuel oil, too, witnessed a drop of 29.2% to 1.4 million tons. Despite the overall downward trend, diesel production dipped by 6.7%, while gasoline bucked the trend, reaching a solid 2.9 million tons, a 3.3% year-on-year growth.
📈 Pump Prices 📈
In August 2020, the cost of gasoline began a steady climb, with prices inching up by 2.4% compared to the same month in 2019. The steepest increases were felt in Jambyl (5.7%), Almaty (4.3%), and Almaty city (4.2%).
The prices of premium fuels followed a similar trajectory. AI-98 gasoline gained 2.6%, AI-92 boosted 2.5%, and AI-95/96 crept up a modest 1.2%. Interestingly, diesel fuel prices dipped a slight 1.2%.
🌍 Strange Days in Kazakhstan 🌍
So, what's behind Kazakhstan's fuel production woes? A myriad of factors could be at play, such as global economic shifts, changes in crude oil supply, refinery issues, or market dynamics. However, without specific 2020 data, it's challenging to pin down the exact reasons for Kazakhstan's diesel production decline during this period. We'd need to delve deeper, possibly turning up data from reports or historical trends, to provide a more accurate analysis of this intriguing phenomenon.
- The production of diesel in Shymkent, one of the three key regions responsible for a majority of Kazakhstan's fuel production, decreased by 15.4% from January to July 2020.
- Despite the overall decline in the production of petroleum fuels and distillates, gasoline production in Kazakhstan managed to increase by 3.3% in the same period, reaching a solid 2.9 million tons.
- The surge in gasoline production could have significant implications for the finance and energy sectors of Kazakhstan, as gasoline is a major source of revenue for the country's oil industry.
- With Kazakhstan heavily reliant on petroleum industries for revenue, understanding the factors causing the decline in diesel production and identifying the reasons behind the increase in gasoline production could be crucial for Kazakhstan's finance and energy policymakers.
