Pakistan Plans to Mix Russian Crude With Arabian Light

Pakistan intends to blend it new purchases of discounted Russian crude with Arabian light to create a more easily processed mixture for its refiners according to Pakistan's energy minister.

• Russia's heavier grades of crude oil are more difficult to process in Pakistan's refineries, which are configured to process lighter Arabian crudes, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik said.
• Pakistan is targeting discounted Russian energy having been unable to compete on the global energy market for most of last year.
• Under the new deal, Pakistan is expected to target about 100,000 bpd of crude from Russia.
• Pakistan plans to blend "various recipes" of lighter Arabian crudes and Russian crude to create the "perfect cocktail" - "It also depends on what discount we get and how much Urals or lighter crude is available in the market," Malik said.
• Pricing details are unclear at present.