Oil firms announce big-time fuel hike for Tuesday
Motorists will be hit with a big-time fuel price hike this week on the back of mounting global supply concerns driven by new sanctions on Russian oil giants and the prospect of increased worldwide demand.
Effective Tuesday, Oct. 28, gasoline will increase by ₱1.20 per liter, while diesel will rise by ₱2 per liter.
Kerosene is also expected to jump by ₱ 1.70 per liter.
Seaoil, Shell Pilipinas, PetroGazz, and Caltex are among the few oil companies that have announced these price hikes.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) said that it will likely discuss these price management issues with the agency on Monday.
Geopolitical tensions, particularly the additional pressure on Russian oil stocks, have pushed prices higher this week, as analysts predicted that the United States (US) sanctions on two Moscow-based companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, would prompt the country to end the war in Ukraine.
While this move is supposedly intended to push for a peaceful resolution, Russian oil buyers in Asia, particularly China and India, will need to look for alternative sources for their imports. This, in turn, could disrupt the current oil supply transportation.
ING Economics earlier explained that these two large energy firms generate more than five million barrels per day of crude oil, which is about 50 percent of the overall oil production in the country. These penalties are scheduled to take effect on November 21.
Meanwhile, the US and China may soon finalize a trade agreement, which could boost demand and, in turn, drive oil prices higher.
According to a Reuters report, the US and China are set to discuss a trade deal this week, which could ease concerns over crude oversupply as stronger economic activity improves demand prospects.