PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians will have to fork out considerably more for RON97 petrol – at least for the short term – following the recent drone attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Beginning midnight tonight, the pump price for RON97 will cost 14 sen more for the period of Sept 21 to Sept 27, soaring to RM2.67 per litre from RM2.53 per litre.
However, the price of RON95 and diesel will remain unchanged at RM2.08 per litre and RM2.18 per litre, respectively.
According to the Finance Ministry, global fuel prices rose dramatically after the drone attacks on the two oil facilities on Sept 14, which are believed to have significantly impacted Saudi Arabia’s oil production and export.
"However, the prices for RON95 and diesel remain unchanged, as assured by the Prime Minister recently, in line with the government's decision to stabilise retail prices for petroleum products and reduce the people's cost of living," it said in a statement today.
The ministry added that the actual price of RON95 is RM2.37 per litre, while diesel costs RM2.32 per litre, based on calculations under the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM).
It said that the subsidy incurred by the government during the Sept 21 to Sept 27 period is estimated at between RM123.16 million and RM102.77 million for RON95, and RM20.39 million for diesel.