INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Former BPCL Chairman RK Singh said state refiners had resorted to this strategy in the past.NEW DELHI: With oil traders forecasting crude
oil to rise to $100 a barrel by the end of the year, domestic refiners are considering cutting back their imports and relying more on
cheaper crude already stored in inventories, according to industry executives
Benchmark Brent crude oil futures surged 2 per cent on Monday to over $80 a barrel as markets have tightened ahead of the start of sanctions
by the United States on Iran, with commodity merchants Trafigura and Mercuria predicting $100 oil by the end of 2018.The soaring oil prices
are occurring at the same time emerging market currencies, such as the rupee, are under pressure
That combination means crude imports are 47 per cent more expensive this year in rupee terms.To cope with the higher costs, India, the
world's third-biggest oil importer, is considering cutting its imports and relying on stockpiled crude, said two refinery sources with
knowledge of the matter who asked to remain unidentified.The Chairman of the biggest oil refiner Indian Oil Corp, Sanjiv Singh, confirmed
the plan to cut imports in favour of stockpiled crude was discussed at a September 15 meeting attended by refinery officials."Apart from
other options we are also considering reducing inventory to cut import costs," said Singh, adding that the refiners would also look at
reviewing their crude slate and widening their crude sources.Brent has climbed 30 per cent to $80.47 a barrel on Monday from its low for the
However, in rupee terms, Brent has gained 47 per cent since then as the rupee has plunged to a record low against the dollar.The rupee was
at 72.53 to the US dollar at 2:52 pm or 0822 GMT.Domestic refiners must pay for their crude in dollars and the soaring import costs are
becoming a headache for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government ahead of general elections next year.India's petrol prices are among the
highest in the world in terms of how much it costs as a portion of gross domestic product per person.R
Ramachandran, the head of refiners at Bharat Petroleum Corp, also confirmed that the meeting, which included all of local refinery
companies, took place and that refiners may cut their imports."We are looking at various options to contain the costs including reducing our
This will be a coordinated effort among refiners", he said
"If need be, we will talk to other countries for a coordinated effort."Other domestic refiners including Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Reliance
Industries and Nayara Energy did not respond to emailed requests for comment sent on Sunday
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd declined to comment.Shares in domestic refiners were trading lower amid a wider sell off in the
markets.India imports more than 80 per cent of its oil needs
The country imported 4.4 million barrels per day (bpd) oil in August, costing about $12 billion, according to government data.India's crude
inventory levels are not made public.RISKY STRATEGYUsing up crude inventories could save domestic refiners short-term import costs but poses
the risk that if prices do not ease later on the companies will have to import more later at higher prices.Despite this, the government
supports the plan, the two unidentified sources said
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas did not respond to an email from Reuters seeking comments on the plans to curtail imports.Former
BPCL Chairman RK Singh said state refiners had resorted to this strategy in the past.In 2013, BPCL halved its crude inventories to an
average of 15 days of supply for its operations, when the rupee declined to below 68 to the dollar and oil prices were over $100 per barrel,
he said.Oil prices have steadily gained since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) started curtailing production
together with other, non-OPEC suppliers, including top crude producer Russia.However, prices have surged recently ahead of the start of the
2018(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
