Due to bioethanol in gasoline, Ukrainians are switching to A-98/100 en masse
12 June 10:58
In May 2025, the volume of imports of high-octane gasoline of A-98/100 grades to Ukraine exceeded 5 thousand tons. This was a record monthly supply since 2009, when the A-95 Consulting Group started keeping records, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Enkorr. The reason for this is that Ukrainians do not trust gasoline with bioethanol.
Leaders of supply: UPG, Socar, OKKO
UPG remained the largest importer, importing 1.5 thousand tons of gasoline. 90% of it was supplied through the Select Energy trader, and the rest came from the Polish producer Winter Fuels.
Socar was in second place, having increased its supply volumes by 66% compared to April, to 780 tons. The gasoline came from the Polish company Citronex.
The third place was taken by OKKO, which imported 570 tons of gasoline from PKN Orlen, increasing supplies by 21%. The company started selling A-98 gasoline in May.
Avicom Rivne unexpectedly entered the top five suppliers, having made its debut supply of 490 tons of high-octane fuel from Lithuania.
In addition to retailers, wholesale traders have also started importing A-98. In particular, Petrol-Trade UG and Carpathian Fuel Company imported one fuel tanker each.
The total number of companies that imported gasoline in May increased to 20, compared to 15 in April.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Major producers: Orlen and PCK Schwedt
PCK Schwedt (Germany) and Polish-Lithuanian Orlen S.A. remain the main suppliers of the resource to the Ukrainian market. In May, they shipped 1.35 thousand tons (83% compared to April) and 1.33 thousand tons (80%) respectively.
The Polish holding Unimot also became more active, increasing sales to Ukrainian traders for two months in a row. In May, the company supplied 390 tons of A-98, almost twice as much as in April. The main buyer of this resource was the WOG chain, which purchased 74% of Unimot’s total supply.
Reasons for the growth in demand
The main factor behind the rapid growth in imports of high-octane gasoline was the law on mandatory addition of bioethanol to gasoline that came into force on May 1. However, this requirement does not apply to gasoline with an octane rating of 98 and above.
Many consumers were wary of gasoline with bioethanol and preferred high-octane fuel. This led to a rush of demand for A-98/100 grades, which temporarily put gasoline off the shelves even in the UPG network, the largest importer of this resource.
Socar also recorded a significant increase in sales.
New market entrants
Given the increased demand, several new players joined the high-octane gasoline market in May. In particular, OKKO, Ukrnafta and VostokGaz started selling A-98/100.
High-octane gasoline A-98/100 is typically used for cars with higher fuel quality requirements. Its popularity in Ukraine is growing amid changes in legislation and growing distrust of the new bioethanol fuel standards.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
