MOSCOW - Russian oil companies plan to boost gasoline production by 20% by 2015, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said at a government presidium meeting on Thursday.
"Oil companies will spend over 200 billion rubles to modernize oil refineries in 2012. That is roughly the same amount spent in the last four years. As a result, we will reach a gasoline production level of 44 million tonnes by 2015," he said.
According to data from the Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex (CDU TEK), Russia produced 36.6 million tonnes of automobile gasoline in 2011. Therefore, production is projected to grow by 20% by 2015.
Even with significant growth in consumption, the forecast amount of gasoline needed for this period is 39 million tonnes. Therefore, enough production capacities will be created in the country to more than cover peak periods of gasoline consumption, Shmatko said.
With reference to the current situation, he said that capacities just barely cover requests for gasoline during peak consumption periods, which is why the ministry keeps all issues related to conducting repair work at oil refineries under control.
"According to our estimates, in order to pass through these periods, we need reserves of 1.2 million tonnes [of gasoline]. Today we have 1.8 million tonnes," Shmatko said.
In the case that "any sorts of concerns" arise, the Energy Ministry needs to be contacted immediately, and it will always find the possibility to solve gasoline problems, he said.
