The price of premium gasoline has exceeded 7 lei per liter at the pump, more than 40% higher than last year, when a liter of fuel cost less than 5 lei, according to data from the Fuel Price Monitor, an application launched by the Competition Council two years ago, presented by Agerpres.
The highest prices, 7.09 lei per liter, are at OMV and Gazprom petrol stations. Rompetrol also has a price of 7.07 lei per liter for premium diesel. The other petrol stations have similar prices: Petrom – 6.88 lei, MOL – 6.99 lei, Lukoil – 6.76 lei, Socar – 6.59 lei.
As for standard petrol, Gazprom is the most expensive at 6.5 lei per liter, followed by OMV and Rompetrol at 6.49 lei. Other prices are Petrom – 6.43 lei, MOL – 6.27 lei, Lukoil – 6.06 lei and Socar – 6.09 lei.
Premium diesel prices reached 6.81 lei (Gazprom). OMV and Rompetrol sell a liter for 6.8 lei, while Petrom – 6.55 lei, MOL – 6.69 lei, Lukoil – 6.35 lei, Socar – 6.39 lei.
Standard diesel costs 6.32 lei per liter at Gazprom and 6.31 lei at OMV and Rompetrol. Petrom sells a diesel at 6.25 lei, MOL – 6.17 lei, Lukoil – 5.99 lei, Socar – 6.09 lei.
The prices mentioned are those valid for Friday, October 8, in OMV, Petrom, Rompetrol, Lukoil and MOL petrol stations on and near the Autostrada Soarelui, Gazprom stations on A1 and Socar in Chiajna.
About half of the final price at the pump is excise duty and VAT, which is paid to the state budget.
At the same time, the price of oil is reaching its highest level since 2014 due to the increased demand for energy products, exceeding $80 per barrel on the US stock exchange on Tuesday. On Friday, a barrel was trading at $79.44.
Last year at this time, oil cost $40 a barrel, according to Bloomberg.
The online platform “Fuel Price Monitor” was launched in 2019 by the Competition Council and displays the prices charged by six petrol station networks in Romania – OMV Petrom, Rompetrol, MOL, Lukoil, Socar and Gazprom, totaling more than 1,300 stations.
In July, Bogdan Chirițoiu, president of the Competition Council, told Agerpres in an interview that his institution constantly monitors the fuel market and there are no indications that these companies are violating competition law.