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Petrol, diesel price see no rate cut despite crude oil market crash. Here's why

NEW DELHI : If you have been expecting a big cut in petrol and diesel prices after US crude oil rates plunged below the $0 mark into negative territory for the first time in history and international benchmark Brent touched multi-year lows of $26 a barrel, then you could be in for some disappointment.

Barring a hike in few cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata due to an increase in VAT by some state governments, fuel retailers have not changed their selling price of both the fuels for more than a month now. Petrol and diesel prices were last reduced on March 16.

Brent oil prices have collapsed around 60% since the start of the year while the price of diesel has fallen only by 10% and that of petrol by 8.5% from their peak rate on January 11.

As the demand for petrol and diesel have fallen by over 60% due to curbs on travel and industrial activities during lockdown, oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been forced to reduce refining capacity and deal with inventory losses.

"Despite the sharp fall in crude prices, international refined product prices have also fallen sharply; with margins for gasoline and jet fuel at negative levels while diesel margins are at multi-year lows of under $6/bbl. Domestic margins are now better than international ones, hence the OMCs would strive to maintain prevailing price levels as long as possible," Refinitiv Oil Research's director Yan Chong Yaw told Livemint.

For most refiners, crude is purchased about 2 months in advance based on prices prevailing at the time. "The steep fall in prices started from early March, so given the time lag, we would expect to see price falls only from May, if any," Yaw said.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest report said India's annual fuel consumption will decline 5.6% in 2020 compared with growth of 2.4% forecast in its March report. It estimates India's petrol demand will decline by 9%, while diesel will drop by 6.1%.

In Delhi, a litre of petrol is priced at ₹ 69.59 per litre and diesel at ₹ 62.29 per litre today. In Mumbai, petrol is selling at ₹ 76.31 per litre and diesel at ₹ 66.21 per litre. In Chennai, a litre of petrol will cost ₹ 72.28 per litre whereas diesel is now priced at ₹ 65.71 per litre.

In Bengaluru, petrol is now selling at ₹ 73.55 and diesel at ₹ 65.96. In Hyderabad, petrol pumps are charging ₹ 73.97 for petrol and ₹ 67.82 for diesel. If you are in Gurgaon, you will have to shell out ₹ 70.21 for petrol and ₹ 62.08 for diesel. In Kolkata, petrol pumps are charging ₹ 73.30 for petrol and ₹ 65.62 for diesel.