Despite recommendations by the authorities, Russian refineries are not expected to raise runs significantly in August. The Russian energy ministry has urged oil producers to send additional volumes to domestic refineries as output limitations under the OPEC+ deal ease starting in August, but instead more volumes have been sent to export destinations. Runs at domestic refineries are likely to increase but not by much. Planned sales of gasoline on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange in August are only marginally higher than July, suggesting the expected increase in throughput at refineries is unlikely to materialize. Volumes are rising partly as Gazprom’s Astrakhan gas processing plant is back in the market after prolonged maintenance. Gasoline traded on Russia’s St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, or Spimex, rose to 688,250 mt in July from 503,510 mt in June, […]