Secretary General of the Association of Oil Companies of Serbia, Tomislav Mićović, stated that there is no reason to fear a fuel shortage, expressing hope that a solution will be found within the next month following the introduction of U.S. sanctions on the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), ensuring the continued operation of the Pančevo Refinery.
“As long as the refinery is operating, processing oil, and delivering petroleum products to the market, supply will be maintained, even beyond that, as long as consumption can be met,” Mićović told the FoNet news agency.
He emphasized that a long-term solution to ensure stable fuel supply is impossible without the refinery in operation.
“The logistics, transport, and distribution capacities are such that it is not feasible to have parallel infrastructure capable of supplying the 80% of petroleum products previously delivered by NIS. Shutting down NIS’s production and distribution capacity leaves remaining infrastructure insufficient,” Mićović explained.
Regarding fuel prices and concerns about potential increases, he noted that the government must carefully manage the market.
“Diesel prices last increased by one dinar about a month ago. Since then, prices have either remained stable or decreased. The government must set prices at a level that does not jeopardize petroleum product imports,” Mićović said.
