Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Motorists in Oman are eagerly waiting to know the revised price for a new type of fuel: M91, which the Ministry of Oil and Gas said will become available in the market in August.
The ministry had announced earlier that the M91 fuel will replace the existing M90 and will be available in the market in early August. The revised petrol and diesel prices, which will be effective from August 1, are expected to be announced on Sunday.
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The topic was discussed by the public on social media, with many wondering if the price will be between that of the usual Super and Regular grade petrol. Mohammed Khalfan, who switched to Regular grade fuel after the increase in the Super grade fuel price, said there shouldn’t be a big gap between the Regular grade and the M91.
“I understand the quality difference but I have switched from the Super to the Regular due to the price rise,” said Khalfan.
In July, the cost of Super grade petrol was 180 baisas per litre, 170 baisas for Regular grade petrol and 188 baisas for diesel per litre, compared with 185 in June.
It is expected that the new revised price for the fuel for August will be announced on Sunday, leaving the public eager to find out if the new type of fuel price remains the same as Regular or will edge nearer to the price of Super grade fuel.
Earlier, a senior official at one of the largest oil companies in Oman revealed to the Times of Oman that the company is considering introducing a new grade of Octane petrol in the market, which will fall between Regular and Super at the oil pumps.
The official explained that the company is currently studying the possibility of introducing the M92 fuel in Oman. “We see a demand for it in the market. The M92 fuel will have the quality and price that is between the present price of the M90 (Regular) and M95 (Super grade).”
Most vehicles in Oman require the M92 fuel. However, as it’s not available, motorists go for M95 and some compromise with M90. The National Centre for Statistics and Information’s February data on fuel consumption at retail outlets in Oman showed that while 1.9 million barrels of M95 were sold, only 640,000 barrels of M90 fuel were sold.
A fuel station official said he had witnessed a slump in Super grade petrol sales and an increase in Regular grade purchases.
“At one of the stations, we used to sell 45,000 litres of Super graded fuel per day. It has come down to 38,000. And in the case of Regular, we used to sell only 2,000 per day earlier. It has gone up to 4,000. People don’t know much about the grade effect on engines. They go for regular only to save money,” an official from Siraj Al Jazeera, which runs fuel stations for two big oil companies in Oman, said.
“M91 fuel exists in most of the Gulf countries and it’s the time for Oman,” said Mohammed Al Balushi, an Omani national, who travels a lot to Gulf countries.
Fuel types
“I always use M91 when I travel to another gulf country, but I come back to Oman I have to switch. Such switching between the fuel type might end up damaging my vehicle,” said Al Balushi. He added that once the M91 fuel is available in the Oman market, he can stick to one type of fuel even when he travels.
