Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính asked relevant agencies and authorities to ensure sufficient supply of electricity and petroleum products in all situations.
Nghi Sơn Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP) has received a request from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to maintain stable production activities and maximise production to ensure petroleum supply to the domestic market.
Petrol price is expected to go down substantially from April after the National Assembly on March 23 passed the resolution on reduction of environmental protection tax rates on petroleum products.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued a dispatch requesting the joint efforts of ministries, sectors and localities to ensure a balance between supply and demand of petroleum products.
The HCM City Department of Industry and Trade has assured there is adequate supply of petroleum products to meet demand and it will prevent any hoarding of these goods.
Viet Nam imported more than one million tonnes of petroleum products in July worth more than US$633.2 million, up 99 per cent in volume and 107 per cent in value from the previous month.
Environmental protection taxes on petroleum products will be increased from January 1, 2019, according to a resolution issued by the National Assembly Standing Committee.
Viet Nam imported more than 8.6 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products worth US$5.71 billion in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 26.4 per cent.
The Viet Nam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) has limited the imports of petroleum products to consume products of Nghi Son Refinery factory located in the central province of Thanh Hoa since this month.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) said the ministries and localities supported its proposal to raise environmental protection tax on oil and petroleum products.
The Ministry of Finance has proposed raising environmental protection taxes on oil and petroleum products from the current VND3,000 (13 US cents) to the ceiling level of VND4,000 (17 cents) per litre beginning July 1st 2018.
Viet Nam is expected to continue importing petroleum products for the next five years as production of major oil refineries is unable to meet the increasing local demand.