Euro-3 fuel will start appearing at gas stations in the second half of August, closer to the end of the month, considering delivery times. Importantly, all gas stations must indicate the environmental class of the fuel at the point of sale.
Earlier, the government issued a decree allowing the production, import, and trade of gasoline and diesel meeting environmental standards Euro-2, Euro-3, and Euro-4 (in the Russian classification, K2, K3, and K4) until July 1, 2027. Since July 2016, there has been a ban on the circulation of fuels with a class lower than Euro-5.
The government's announcement emphasizes that this measure is temporary and aimed at saturating the domestic market with the necessary volumes of fuel.Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak specifically highlighted that information about the fuel class should be presented at gas stations in a consumer-friendly manner.
The easing of requirements is linked to a reduction in gasoline and diesel production due to unscheduled repairs at refineries following drone attacks. Technologically, producing Euro-3 fuel is simpler; it does not require installations involved in producing low-sulfur and aromatic compound fuels. Thus, even some affected refineries (if this equipment was precisely what was halted) will be able to continue fuel production.
Additionally, repairs scheduled for late spring and the first half of summer at several refineries have been postponed, and their shutdown may also affect market saturation. Refineries are complex operations and cannot function effectively without periodic maintenance stoppages. Allowing the production and trade of Euro-3 will help maintain production volumes.
In a conversation with "RG," Dmitry Gusev, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the "Reliable Partner" Association and a member of the Expert Council for the "Gas Stations of Russia" competition, explained that the lower the environmental class of gasoline, the more can be produced. This is not about abandoning Euro-5; rather, where it is insufficient, fuel of a lower environmental class can be used, he clarified.
According to Sergey Tereshkin, General Director of Open Oil Market, when fuel imports from Belarus hit production capacity ceilings and imports from India are complicated due to high logistics costs, easing fuel property requirements becomes a primary means of preventing shortages in the domestic market.
The bulk of Euro-3 fuel production will likely come from small refineries with low processing depths (there are about 20 of them in Russia with a total processing volume of 12 million tons per year), believes Sergey Frolov, managing partner at NEFT Research. However, the government has not disclosed an official list of refineries authorized to supply such fuel. It is unlikely that it can be found at the gas stations of major oil companies. Regardless, petroleum products at gas stations should be labeled, and consumers must be warned that they are purchasing gasoline below the Euro-5 class.
On the other hand, as already mentioned, producing Euro-3 is technologically simpler, making the production cost lower and thus the price more attractive. This will not only help keep prices stable in the domestic market but will also make importing Euro-3 to Russia more profitable than Euro-5. However, as Gusev noted, finding available quantities of Euro-3 for delivery to our country will be significantly more challenging for importers than for Euro-5.
This is not about abandoning Euro-5 but compensating for missing fuel volumes in the market with Euro-3.There remains a need to address the impact of Euro-3 on the environment and the "health of vehicles." As Tereshkin explains, while the maximum sulfur content in Euro-5 gasoline is 10 mg per kg of fuel, in Euro-3, it is 150 mg per kg, with maximum aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations of 35% and 42%, respectively.
Regarding the effects on vehicles, it is known that Euro-3 should not be used in modern vehicles with environmental classes Euro-5 and Euro-6. According to Tereshkin, using fuel with high sulfur content risks damaging oxygen sensors, reducing engine oil effectiveness, and degrading the active layer of the catalyst used for exhaust gas purification.
Frolov notes that Euro-3 could negatively impact vehicle components related to emission control (catalysts, soot filters, lambda probes) and adversely affect engines due to a higher risk of corrosion and carbon buildup.
Moreover, Tereshkin also points out that potential damage to vehicles depends on the duration of Euro-3 usage. If it concerns one or two weeks, a simple cleaning of the engine injectors at an auto service might suffice. More severe damages can occur after several months. It's similar to fast food: it’s one thing to snack on a burger and fries for lunch and another to eat fast food every day for six months.
Source: RG.RU
