Damascus, Sept. 21 (SANA)Risingenergy costsand supply disruptions are putting pressure onfuel markets,production sectors and household budgets worldwide, with Syria also affected as it faces a gap between domestic demand and availablerefining capacity.

The global energy market has been affected by disruptions in supply flows, higher transportation and insurance costs and reduced refining capacity, pushing refinedfuel prices, particularly diesel, higher and adding to inflationary pressures.

The International Energy Agency(IEA)said in its September report that global oil production fell in August to about 100.1 million barrels per day, while more than 10 million barrels per day ofGulf-region productionremained offline amid security risks.

Global refining volumesdeclined by about 4.2 million barrels per day compared with the previous year, while global oil inventories fell by about 95 million barrels in August, bringing the decline since February to about 507 million barrels, according to the agency.

The IEA said Brent crude was trading at around $105 per barrel when the report was prepared, about 45 percent above pre-crisis levels. Diesel prices also increased sharply, including in the United States, where prices exceeded $200 per barrel in early September.

Energy pricesare influenced not only by crude oil costs but also by refining capacity, availability of refined products, shipping expenses and insurance costs.

TheUnited Nations Department of Economicand Social Affairs said the energy shock had renewed inflationary pressures globally, with diesel, jet fuel and heating oil prices rising faster than crude prices.

Higher fuel costs have affectedtransportation, machinery operations and the production of goods and services, with additional pressure on food and basic commodity prices due to increased logistics and manufacturing costs.

The IEA said diesel markets are facing particular pressure due to lower exports from some major suppliers, reduced inventories andhigher refining margins.

Several countries have introduced measures to ease the impact, including fuel subsidies, price controls, tax relief and additional supplies. Higher energy costs have also contributed to protests and social pressures in some countries.

Syria is experiencing these pressures while facing a gap betweendomestic demandand available production and refining capacity.

Daily diesel demand stands at about 7.72 million liters, including around 3.09 million liters from domestic production and 4.63 million liters from imports, meaning imports account for about 60 percent of supplies.

Gasoline suppliesaverage about 2.32 million liters per day, including around 1.54 million liters from domestic production and 775,000 liters from imports. Household gas supplies average about 912 tons per day, with significant reliance on imports.

Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashirsaid the number of vehicles in Syria has increased from about 2.5 million to 3.6 million, contributing to higher fuel demand.

He said Syria’s refining capacity stands at about 150,000 barrels per day, while the country imports petroleum products at a rate of about 150,000 barrels per day.

TheSyrian governmentis expanding diesel options based on use and specifications through three pricing categories.

The Syrian government is expanding diesel options based on use and specifications through three pricing categories. The categories includediesel pricedat 115 Syrian pounds ($0.94) per liter for heating and agricultural uses, a 150 Syrian pounds ($1.23) per liter category for production, services and engineering machinery, and a higher-specification category priced at 175 Syrian pounds ($1.43) per liter.

The government also plans to restart several local refineries with a combined capacity of up to 35,000 barrels of crude oil per day under the management and supervision of theSyrian Petroleum Company.

All diesel produced by these refineries will be allocated to the subsidized category.

Authorities are also reviewingpetroleum product pricesregularly, with the pricing committee meeting every 15 days and holding emergency sessions when needed to follow market developments and supply costs.

The energy crisis highlights the connection between global market conditions and domestic challenges, with fuel costs shaped by demand, production, refining capacity,imports, transportation and insurance expenses.

Asenergy marketsremain under pressure, efforts in Syria and elsewhere are focused on securing supplies, maintaining fuel-dependent sectors and limiting the impact of higher energy costs on transportation, production and living expenses.