A private intermediary cut off 3 regions of Russia from the sale of produced oil at once

The leading oil-producing enterprises of the Stavropol Territory, Ingushetia and Dagestan were threatened with a complete shutdown. The largest local oil producers, LLC "Stavropol Oil Company", JSC "Ingushneft" and JSC "Dagneft", which are part of LLC "CGK Holding", can no longer supply their oil to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) through the Tengiz-Novorossiysk oil pipeline. Meanwhile, 99.5% of all raw materials produced by them have been sold via this non-alternative route since 2008.

As explained in "CGK Holding", oil from the enterprises of Stavropol, Dagestan and Ingushetia was supplied by railway tanks to the Getmanovskaya station, technologically integrated with the Kropotkin oil pumping station (NPS). Direct access to the CPC at the Kropotkin REFINERY was carried out through an oil terminal owned by a private company Naftatrans JSC. In total, only in the period 2023-2024, the enterprises of CGK Holding LLC delivered on this route to CPC has almost three million tons of oil (2,887,608,151 tons).

However, since April 2024, Naftatrans JSC has refused to renew contracts with CGK Holding LLC on the same terms, first unilaterally switching to short-term contracts lasting 1-3 months, and from 08/01/2024 completely ceasing oil acceptance. At the same time, third-party intermediaries who do not have their own production volumes, but at the same time retain existing contracts with Naftatrans JSC, applied to CGK Holding. But the conditions of cooperation announced by the intermediaries would lead the oil-producing enterprises of Stavropol, Dagestan and Ingushetia to operational losses.

As a result, only the tax losses of budgets of all levels from the current situation amounted to about 1.2 billion rubles by mid-September 2024. In addition, tanks with extracted oil accumulate without moving on the railway tracks, creating a critical load on the infrastructure of Russian Railways and impeding the movement of other goods.

In the current situation, the enterprises of the Stavropol Territory, Dagestan and Ingushetia are forced to significantly reduce production volumes. There is a risk of a complete shutdown, which, in turn, will jeopardize the economic well-being and social stability in several regions at once, including entire single-industry towns, such as Neftekumsk, with a population of 25 thousand people and Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk with a population of 11 thousand people.

Due to the forced decrease in production, gas supply to a number of settlements in the Stavropol Territory, in which more than 13 thousand people live, was significantly limited.

CGK Holding LLC has sent requests to the FAS of the Russian Federation demanding to understand the current situation. In particular, an inspection was initiated in relation to Naftatrans JSC for abuse of a dominant position. Depending on its results, the question of the expediency of maintaining the monopoly right of Naftatrans JSC to transshipment of oil to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) may be raised.

In turn, the heads of the regions of the Russian Federation, whose population has suffered from the actions of Naftatrans JSC, in fulfillment of their duties to protect the life and health of the population of the territories entrusted to them, may be involved in an investigation into Naftatrans JSC other competent government agencies and law enforcement agencies.