據世界石油4月8日新德里報道，世界第三大石油消費國的印度，將搶購數百萬桶中東原油作為其戰略儲備。

據知情官員透露，此次購買旨在利用低價市場現狀。

雖然印度的儲量相對較小，但購買是一個重要信號，表明主要消費國正努力在重新平衡這個受到疫情沖擊的市場方面發揮自己的作用。

新德里的舉動似乎是二十國集團對油價暴跌做出的更廣泛反應的一部分。國際能源署署長法提赫?比羅爾鼓勵有庫存的石油進口國利用油價較低的機會搶購石油。比羅爾在上周的一次采訪中表示：“石油消費者可以通過充實其戰略石油儲備來提供幫助。”

以沙特阿拉伯和俄羅斯為首的主要產油國目前正努力達成一項協議，在周四歐佩克聯盟和其他產油國召開會議之前，停止價格戰，并將全球石油日產量削減約1000萬桶。普拉丹部長也將在第二天參加二十國集團能源部長會議。

這些官員稱，印度政府可能會要求國有煉油商預先從沙特阿拉伯、阿聯酋和伊拉克購買原油，然后再進行付款。

印度在芒伽羅、帕杜爾和維薩卡帕特南的三個戰略儲備中還有1500萬桶原油的儲備空間。這些官員表示，財政部已經批準了石油部的資金申請。

知情官員稱，印度正尋求購買550萬桶阿聯酋的上扎庫姆原油以充實芒伽羅戰略儲備，為帕杜爾基地購買約920萬桶沙特原油，并還將為維薩卡帕特南戰略儲備基地購買一些伊拉克的巴士拉輕質油。

裘寅 編譯自 世界石油

原文如下：

India buying millions of barrels of Saudi crude for strategic reserves

India, the world’s third biggest oil consumer, is set to snap up millions of barrels of Middle East crude for its strategic reserves, signaling its support for global efforts to rescue the energy market.

The purchases are aimed at taking advantage of low prices, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. But two of them said they’re also a signal of solidarity for the campaign to stabilize markets after Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke with his U.S. and Saudi Arabian counterparts and the head of the International Energy Agency.

While India’s storage capacity is relatively small, the purchases are an important sign that major consuming countries are trying to play their part in rebalancing a market that’s been pummeled by the coronavirus.

New Delhi’s move appears to be part of a broader G-20 response to the collapse in oil prices. Fatih Birol, the head of the IEA, has encouraged oil importers with available storage to take advantage of low prices to snap barrels. “Oil consumers can help by filling up their strategic petroleum reserves,“ Birol said in an interview last week.

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are currently trying to stitch together a deal to call off their price war and cut worldwide oil output by around 10 million barrels a day ahead of a meeting of the OPEC+ alliance and other producers on Thursday. Minister Pradhan is also set to take part in a meeting of G-20 energy ministers the following day.

The Indian government may ask state-run refiners to buy the crude upfront from Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Iraq and reimburse them later, the officials said, asking not to be named as the information is private.

The country has space for an additional 15 million barrels of crude across its three strategic reserves at Mangalore, Padur and Visakhapatnam. The finance ministry has approved a request for funds from the oil ministry, the officials said.

India is seeking to buy around 5.5 million barrels of the U.A.E.’s Upper Zakum crude for Mangalore and about 9.2 million barrels of Saudi oil for the Padur caverns, the officials said. It will also buy some of Iraq’s Basrah Light grade for Visakhapatnam.