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Tag: Gasoline

  • Korea’s gas prices fall quickly thanks to fuel tax cuts

    Korea’s gas prices fall quickly thanks to fuel tax cuts

    The government fuel tax cut, which was implemented to ease the burden on rising crude oil prices, has turned out to be more effective than initially expected. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Sunday, the average price of gasoline at gas stations nationwide was 1,575.2 won ($1.40) per liter during the second week of November. This is an 85.2 won, or 5 percent, drop, from the 1,660.4 won average just a week earlier.

    Diesel prices have also dropped to an average 1,419.2 won per liter, down 56.2 won, or 3.8 percent, from the first week of this month, when it was an average 1,475.4 won for the same amount.

    On Saturday, the ministry said the average price of gasoline had further fallen to 1,556.8 won per liter – 133.5 won less than the 1,690.3 won it sold for on Nov. 5, the night before the government’s fuel tax cut went into effect.

    On average, the government cut 15 percent off of all fuel taxes including gasoline and diesel in the hopes of easing the burden created by rising international crude prices. It was the first fuel tax cut adopted in a decade.

    “As the situation [of low-income households and small and medium-sized enterprises] becomes more difficult with rising international crude prices, we have decided to aim for a psychological effect that will help the economy by increasing disposable incomes,” Ko Hyoung-kwon, deputy finance minister said in late October.

    Among gas stations, the government-supported Altteul Gas Station saw the biggest drop in prices – its gasoline costs 135.5 won less than it did on Nov. 5.

    Other major brands including SK, GS, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank have cut gasoline prices by 133.3 won.

    By region, Jeju lowered its gasoline prices the most. The island has seen a 169.4 won drop in average price compared to Nov. 5. Daejeon followed, as prices have fallen an average of 149.6 won, while Incheon came in third after seeing a 142 won drop.

    Seoul gas stations on average lowered their prices by 134.9 won while Gyeonggi gas prices fell by 137.2 won per liter.

    Seoul and Gyeonggi account for 39 percent of all fuel sold in the country.

    However, as of Saturday, 173 gas stations around the country – 1.5 percent of the nation’s gas stations – have not taken part in lowering fuel prices. The ministry said that these gas stations failed to deplete all of the gas that they had stockpiled before the Nov. 6 fuel tax cut was implemented.

    The fuel tax cut will be applied for six months.

  • Petronas has sufficient headroom to absorb one-off exceptional dividend

    Petronas has sufficient headroom to absorb one-off exceptional dividend

    Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) solid balance sheet, sizeable net cash position and ample liquidity provide ample buffer against the payment of one-off dividend to the government that could reach RM30 billion. According to S&P Global Ratings, the financial impact of a one-off dividend of this size is moderate considering Petronas’ cash position and balance sheet quality.

    “The company can finance this dividend, given cash and short-term equivalent of nearly RM180 billion as of June 30, 2018; immaterial reported debt of about RM66.3 billion as of June 30, 2018 and a net cash position of nearly RM114 billion as of June 30, 2018; and solid operating cash flows,” it said in a statement.

    It added that the exceptional dividend of RM30 billion would effectively offset inflows of nearly RM30 billion the company received following the completion of the transaction with Saudi-based oil and gas producer Saudi Aramco in the first quarter of 2018.

    “We project Petronas will remain in a net cash position in 2019 and, depending on the pace of capital spending disbursement, in 2020 as well. This underpins our ‘aa’ stand-alone credit profile on the company.

    “We currently project operating cash flows of at least RM80 billion in 2019 amid higher hydrocarbon prices. These are sufficient to fund capital spending that we forecast at about RM55 billion and regular dividends to the government and minority interest that we estimate at about RM25 billion,” it said.

    The rating agency said the special dividend will not affect Petronas’ solid liquidity as the group’s short-term debt maturities were minimal at about RM11.5 billion as of June 30, 2018, representing less than 10% of its cash balance.

    “We estimate that Petronas’ balance sheet can absorb negative discretionary cash flows of RM40 billion for two years before the headroom under its ‘aa’ stand-alone credit profile starts to reduce. Assuming no change to the company’s investment plan, this implies additional one-off dividends of RM40 billion to RM50 billion, on top of the regular and exceptional dividends in the 2019 budget,” it said.

    It said that the special dividend validates its long-standing credit view that Petronas can be subject to periodic cash calls from the government given its solid financial position, high importance to the national budget and ownership control by the government.

    It added that a sustained period of higher oil prices over the next two to three years will translate into higher dividends from Petronas, and potentially, additional one-off dividends to the state.

    “We cap our issuer credit rating on Petronas (foreign currency A-/Stable/–; local currency A/Stable/–) to that of the sovereign of Malaysia (A-/Stable/A-2; local currency A/Stable/A-1), despite Petronas’ stronger stand-alone credit profile, given this government intervention risk.”

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  • Petron to open more than 250 gas stations in Malaysia and the Philippines

    Petron to open more than 250 gas stations in Malaysia and the Philippines

    The Philippines’ largest oil refiner and distributor Petron Corporation is set to further expand its retail business as it continues to enjoy stronger sales and positive growth potentials, reported The Standard.


    Source: Petron Corporation Facebook Page

    This year, Petron targets to add more than 250 gas stations to the existing 2,800 Petron stations in Malaysia and the Philippines.

    The company, in fact, has already carried out a significant gas station network expansion in Malaysia with the acquisition and rebranding of approximately 550 ExxonMobil stations.

    It also plans to upgrade its Port Dickson Refinery, according to Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang.

    Ang also disclosed plans to put up 12 retail stations along the Philippines’ 88.5-kilometer, two-lane Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

    TPLEx has a high traffic volume as it connects the central and northern Luzon provinces to Manila through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway.

    Petron’s parent firm San Miguel Corporation (SMC), through the Private Infra DevCorporation (PIDC), the concessionaire in TPLEx, provides management services, toll collection, traffic safety and security management, toll road maintenance, and other related services along the expressway.

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  • Pertamina cuts Pertamax gasoline prices

    Pertamina cuts Pertamax gasoline prices

    State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has lowered the prices of Pertamax gasoline by Rp200-Rp300 per liter effective as of 00:00 on Sunday, 2016.

    Corporate Communication Vice President of Pertamina Wianda Pusponegoro said in written statement here on Sunday that the lowering of the prices was a periodical corporate decision made to follow the trend of the world crude prices.

    “The prices of Pertamax were lowered by Rp200 per liter for Java, Madura and Bali islands and by Rp300 per liter for other regions,” she said.

    She cited Jakarta and its surroundings as an example where Pertamax price was lowered from Rp7,550 per liter to Rp7,350 per liter. In Surabaya, East Java, the price was lowered from Rp7,650 to Rp7,450 per liter.

    In East Kalimantan, on the other hand, the price of Pertamax was cut by Rp300 per liter from Rp8,000 per liter to Rp7,700 per liter.

    The price of Pertamax Plus in West Nusa Tenggara, Java and Bali was cut by Rp200 per liter and by Rp300 per liter in other regions.

    However, the price of Pertamax Dex was lowered by Rp300 per liter in all regions. The Price of Dexlite gasoline was set at Rp6,650 per liter.

    Pertamina also cut the price of Pertalite gasoline by Rp200 per liter in all regions.

    “The price of Pertalite in Papua which was initially sold at Rp7,300 per liter is lowered to Rp7,100 per liter,” she said.

    The prices of diesel oil/bio-diesel oil were also reduced by Rp300 per liter.

    In Jakarta and Banten, the prices of fuels of these types went down from Rp6,950 per liter to Rp6,650 per liter.

    “Besides the decline in the world oil prices, the lowering by Pertamina of the gasoline prices was also a form of the companys appreciation to consumers,” Wianda Pusponegoro said.

    She said Pertamina will continue to monitor tightly the availability of stocks at gasoline refueling stations considering that the decline in the price of gasoline often increases consumption.

  • Burma’s Gasoline Retailers Urged to Cut Prices

    Burma’s Gasoline Retailers Urged to Cut Prices

    With world oil prices sinking, the Myanmar Petroleum Traders Association (MPTA)has urged the country’s gasoline retailers to slash prices.

    In a letter to the association, the Ministry of Energy said that although the retail price at Rangoon gas stations has seen a small decline—from about 50 to 80 kyat (US$0.04 to 0.06) per liter—the gap between world and domestic prices has yet to be sufficiently bridged.

    “While importers can easily reduce the wholesale price, it’s more difficult to reduce the retail prices at gas stations because there are costs for running these stations,” said Win Myint, chairman of the MPTA.

    “Some stations in other cities haven’t reduced their retail price. That’s why now we’re encouraging them to cut the price as much as they can,” he added.

    Distribution at gas stations has proliferated since the Burmese government eased restrictions on importing gasoline in 2011. More than 50 companies now import from Singapore alone.

    Burma imports some 80,000 tons of octane and 200,000 tons of diesel each day, according to the MPTA. In Burma, one liter of octane is about 550 kyats, down from 600 kyats, while diesel prices have fallen from 570 to 500 kyat over the last week.

    In the world market, one barrel of oil runs for approximately $30 to $50.

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