The price of gasoline and diesel has increased by 17% and 15%, respectivelysince the beginning of the year, after the end of the discount of 20 cents per liter on fuels and despite remaining practically stable in the last week.
According to data published this Thursday in the European Union (EU) Oil Bulletin, which includes the average price registered in more than 11,400 Spanish service stations between January 10 and 16, 2023, gasoline rose by 0.19 % in the last week and diesel fell by 0.18%.
Specifically, gasoline cost an average of 1.62 euros per liter, while for diesel it was paid at 1.68 euros per liter, in what was the second full week without the universal bonus of 20 cents per liter for fuels that It was in force between April and December 31, 2022.
Asturias has also been affected by the increases. Filling up the car’s gasoline tank at a service station in Asturias costs an average of 14 euros more than at the end of 2022. The elimination of the state discount of 20 cents for most drivers has been added to the increase in fuel prices during the month of January due to the rise in oil prices. In addition, everything indicates that fuels will continue to become more expensive because, starting next February 5, the importation of oil products from Russia will be suspended.
The average price of a liter of 95 octane gasoline has risen at service stations in Asturias to 1,692 euros, according to data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The tank of a car has an average capacity of 55 liters, so filling it now costs 93.06 euros. They are 14 euros more than what it cost to fill the same tank on December 31, 2022 at Asturias gas stations. That was the last day that the generalized discount of 20 cents per liter of fuel was in force. The liter cost an average of 1,636 euros and with the discount it remained at 1,436. Filling the tank cost 78.98 euros
The Government had approved the discount to cushion the sharp rise in fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine and it began to be applied in April 2022. However, with the new package of anti-crisis measures decreed last December, the Executive of Pedro Sánchez decided put an end to the general reduction of 20 cents, considering that there was no longer any risk of sharp rises and that the priority at that time was to contain the price of food. Only the fuel discount for transporters and the primary sector was maintained.
Since the end of the general discount, the price of fuel has entered a new upward wave, fueled by an increase in the price of oil in the face of a forecast increase in demand for crude oil as the alarm signals of recession in the large economies have faded of the world.