Business

PRL to submit report on Russian oil in July

Published

11 months ago

Farwa

PRL may take two months to refine 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude.
Refineries already facing a shortage of furnace oil; export it at 25% loss.
Arrival of remaining Russian crude readjusted due to storage constraints.

ISLAMABAD: In two weeks, the Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) is likely to submit to the government a report about the quality, yields, and commercial viability of the Russian crude oil URAL — which is heavier — The News reported, quoting a Petroleum Division senior official.

The PRL, which is in the process of refining Russian crude, will submit the report to the Petroleum Division about the yields (production of petrol, diesel, FO, and light diesel oil, in terms of percentages), quality, and — more importantly — its viability for Pakistan’s economy after refining cost and margins of the refinery have been worked out.

The report will help the government’s relevant functionaries decide whether to go for a GtG import deal with Russia.

The local refineries currently produce an average of motor spirit (petrol) at 25-30% and furnace oil at 45% by using the crude of Saudi Aramco and ADNOC.

However, the official said that half of the 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude would be exported as furnace oil at 75% of the crude cost with a 25% loss because URAL crude is heavier crude, and 50% of furnace oil will be produced.

“Pakistan refineries that use crude mostly from Saudi Aramco and ADNOC are already facing an ullage of furnace oil in their storages and they export the furnace oil with a 25% loss.”

The deep conversion refineries in Dubai make finished products out of the furnace oil that Pakistan refineries have exported at 25%.

The official said PRL — an old refinery — is processing the Russian crude.

Even though the heavy Russian crude is a discounted fuel, PRL will produce 50% furnace oil out of it, meaning that the ship containing 50,000 tonnes will be exported as furnace oil as its utility in Pakistan is not up to the mark.

Last Sunday, PRL just exported 25,000 furnace oil out of the crude that it normally uses from Saudi Aramco and ADNOC.

“However, because of the gas crisis in the country, and the increase in temperature, the demand of electricity has increased and the authorities concerned have started using the local furnace oil for power generation too.”

The official disclosed that PRL might take two months’ time to refine 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude as it first blends 25-30% of Russian URAL with 70-75% of the crude from Saudi Aramco, and then it refines the blended crude.

The Petroleum Division official said the first cargo carrying 45,000 tonnes of Russian crude arrived at Karachi Port Trust on June 11. Now, the same shipment with 55,000 tonnes would arrive again on June 29 — earlier scheduled to arrive on June 20.

The arrival of remaining Russian crude has been readjusted because of the storage constraints. And on top of it, the official said a vessel containing 70,000 tonnes crude oil from Saudi Aramco is due on June 25 for Pakistan Refinery Limited.

The main ship from Russia with 100,000 tonnes of URAL crude arrived in Oman on June 7. From there, a small ship had been arranged to transport the crude in two rounds.

Business

Pakistan’s gold prices continue to decline.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The price of ten grams of 24 carat gold dropped by Rs 1,201 to Rs 205,418 from Rs 206,619, while the price of ten grams of 22 carat gold dropped to Rs 188,300 from Rs 189,400, according to the All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

Silver, priced at Rs. 2,620 per tola and Rs. 2,254.80 per ten grams, stayed at that level. As reported by the organization, the price of gold dropped by $11 on the global market, to $2,297 from $2,308.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.