The Russian government may take an unconventional step to overcome the fuel shortage caused by attacks on oil refineries.
As reported by Kommersant, the government is considering allowing the production of gasoline and diesel fuel with standards lowered to as far as Euro 2. Imports of such fuel may also be permitted. The lower fuel standards could be introduced for a period of one year.
The newspaper’s journalists reviewed a draft of the relevant resolution. The government has not officially commented on the proposal.
The sale of Euro 2 fuel in Russia has been banned since 2013. Earlier, the authorities allowed a number of Russian oil refineries to produce Euro 3-grade gasoline.
According to experts cited by the newspaper, “Euro 2 makes it possible to use crude oil as a base without deep processing, bring into operation facilities that cannot produce higher-quality fuel, and significantly simplify the production process.” The measure could increase gasoline production by hundreds of thousands of tonnes per month. At the same time, the use of Euro 2 fuel could be harmful to modern vehicles.
