The largest oil producing companies in the Stavropol Territory, Ingushetia and Dagestan were under threat of complete closure. The largest local oil producers, LLC Stavropolneftegaz, OJSC RN Ingushneft and JSC Dagneft, part of TsGK Holding LLC, can no longer supply their oil to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) via the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline. Meanwhile, since 2008, 99.5% of all raw materials they extract are sold via this non-alternative route.
As explained by TsGK Holding, oil from enterprises in Stavropol, Dagestan and Ingushetia was transported by tankers to the Getmanovskaya station, technologically combined with the Kropotkin oil pumping station (PS). Direct access to the CPC at the Kropotkin oil pumping station was provided through an oil terminal owned by the private company Naftatrans JSC. In total, in the period 2023-2024 alone, the enterprises of LLC “TsGK Holding” supplied CPC with almost three million tons of oil (2,887,608.151 tons) along this route.
However, from April 2024, Naftatrans JSC refused to renew contracts with TsGK Holding LLC on the same terms, first by unilaterally switching to short-term contracts with a duration of 1 to 3 months, and from 01/08/2024 by completely stopping the acceptance of oil. At the same time, third-party intermediaries who do not have their own production volumes, but at the same time maintain existing contracts with Naftatrans JSC, contacted CGK Holding. But the conditions of cooperation announced by the intermediaries would have led to operational losses for oil producing companies in Stavropol, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
As a result, fiscal losses for budgets of all levels due to the current situation amounted to about 1.2 billion rubles by mid-September 2024. In addition, tanks with the extracted oil are piled up motionless on railway tracks, which creates a critical load on the infrastructure of Russian Railways and impedes the movement of other cargo.
In the current situation, enterprises in the Stavropol Territory, Dagestan and Ingushetia are forced to significantly reduce production volumes. There is a risk of complete shutdown, which in turn will threaten economic well-being and social stability in several regions at once, including entire mono-industrial cities such as Neftekumsk with a population of 25 thousand people and Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk with a population of 11 thousand people.
Due to the forced reduction in production, gas supplies to several settlements in the Stavropol Territory, where more than 13 thousand people live, have been significantly limited.
TsGK Holding LLC has sent requests to the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation demanding understanding of the current situation. In particular, an inspection has been initiated against Naftatrans JSC for abuse of dominant position. Depending on its results, the question may arise about the advisability of maintaining the monopoly right of Naftatrans JSC to transship oil to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
In turn, the heads of the regions of the Russian Federation whose population suffered from the actions of Naftatrans JSC, in fulfilling their duties to protect the life and health of the population of the territories entrusted to them, may involve other competent government agencies and law enforcement agencies to conduct an investigation against the bodies of Naftatrans JSC.
