UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 11, 2015. 172 inspections of gas-filling stations were carried out in Ural Federal District in the year 2015 so far; in 60% of cases, legal offenses relating to poor quality of fuel were detected. A year earlier, the percentage was 32%, Head of Rosstandard’s Ural division Svetlana Mikheyeva said at a press conference.

Mikheyeva explained problems had to do with the chemical composition of the fuel and with the accompanying documents. 4,565,000 RUR worth of fines were imposed on the offenders, including 1.385,000 RUR worth of fines within Sverdlovsk Region.

‘Around 800,000 RUR stem from sanctions imposed on the gas stations following our inspections; the remaining 700,000 RUR stem from fines following customer complaints. In fact, the number of complaints relating to poor quality gas has gone up since May 2015 and now involves not only the smaller companies but also such giants as Lukoil Perm Nefteprodukt and Gazpromneft Ural,’ she pointed out.

The official said the case of Regional Fuel Company selling its gas in Verkhoturye was particularly instructive.

‘We carried an inspection following customers’ complaints; our lab tests indicated that AI 95 samples failed to meet the necessary technical regulations in virtually every single parameter (sulfur content, octane number, methanol content, and so on). A 150,000-ruble fine was imposed on the company,’ she said.