High domestic wholesale gasoline and diesel prices mean Russian refiners are unlikely to qualify for subsidies known as damper payments this month, Reuters calculations showed on Friday.

The refiners are already struggling with a fuel export ban, announced by the government on Sept. 21. to try to tackle the rise in local prices.

The price of Ai-92 gasoline grade for the European part of Russia on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) averaged this month at 64,080 roubles per tonne, exceeding the cut-off price for the subsidies by almost 1,500 roubles.

Diesel prices averaged in September at 68,616 roubles per tonne, almost 4,000 roubles more than the level of the top price eligible for the payments.

The subsidies are paid to the companies to compensate for potential losses from withholding fuel exports and encouraging sales on the domestic market.

The payments would have stood at around 20,000 roubles ($207.25) per tonne of gasoline or diesel supplied to the domestic market.

Total payments from the budget could have totalled over 150 billion roubles ($1.6 billion) under the scheme in September.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Barbara Lewis)