March 19 (Reuters) – Brazilian oil regulator ANP will tell state-run oil firm Petrobras to supply the diesel and gasoline volumes that the company would have auctioned this week in deals later canceled, it said on Thursday.
This comes within a package of measures to monitor fuel stocks and imports and prevent possible supply problems, the agency said, as Brazilian prices are impacted by the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran in the Middle East.
ANP has not identified fuel shortages in Brazil, it said in the statement. On Wednesday, fuel distributor group Sindicom alerted the ANP about possible supply issues, asking for Petrobras’ fuel auctions to resume as soon as possible.
While most of the diesel Brazil consumes is produced locally by Petrobras, about 25% is imported, including by the state-run oil firm, leaving the country vulnerable to diesel price spikes.
To allow for more fuel to reach distributors, the ANP has reduced minimum fuel stock levels for producers, it said.
Diesel prices have become a major source of concern for Brazil. The country scrapped taxes on diesel last week in a bid to soften the impact of higher global oil prices, and the ANP launched an operation to combat fuel price gouging.
Brazil Energy Insight 
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