Belarus Imposes Additional Tariffs for Pumping Russian Oil

The resolution enters into force after its official publication.

Belarus introduced tariffs on three additional routes of oil transportation, as follows from Decree No. 30 of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) of May 3, published on Tuesday on the National Legal Internet Portal.

According to the document, the tariff for oil transportation through Nevel (the border of Russia and Belarus) - Polotsk (Belarus) is set at 45.39 rubles per ton net, while through Unecha (the border of Russia and Belarus) - Polotsk - 175.60 rubles per ton net, through Polotsk - Novopolotsk (Belarus) - 0.46 rubles per ton net. The decree comes into force after its official publication.

In February 2020, MART raised the tariff for oil transportation via trunk pipelines of Gomeltransneft Druzhba through Unecha (Vysokoye)-Polotsk-Nevel, amounting to 203.8 Russian rubles per ton net (without VAT).

MART press service explains that the introduction of tariffs for additional directions is caused by the necessity of technical maintenance works in some sections of the Gomeltransneft Druzhba system. "The level of the established tariffs meets the methodology (a mechanism) of tariff changes for services of oil transportation (transit) via trunk pipelines located on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, as approved by the Ministry of Economy of Belarus in coordination with the Federal Tariff Service of the Russian Federation as of January 27, 2010.

For its part, the Belarusian operator of Druzhba, OJSC Gomeltransneft Druzhba, specifies that it applied to the MART to set the tariffs for oil transportation in the three new directions. The operator's website notes that it launched the reconstruction of the tank farm of the Polotsk line production and dispatch station, which is located on the border of Polotsk district and the city of Novopolotsk in 2020.

"To date, repair works on two reservoirs of 50 thousand cubic meters have been completed; the reconstruction of the reservoir of 30 thousand cubic meters is in its final stage. To provide the filling of the Polotsk oil storage after the large-scale reconstruction and increase of the stock of raw materials, it has become necessary to work out tariffs for oil transportation in the directions of Nevel-Polotsk and Unecha-Polotsk. The necessity of technical operations of lease and storage in the tank farm caused the tariff settlement on the Polotsk - Novopolotsk route," reads the report.