150 million liters of gasoline and 425 million liters of diesel will be released from the reserves, with the explanation that the international situation strongly affects the fuel market. Fuel from reserves will be available until the end of June, reports HINA.
Earlier, in February, Hungary released about 250 thousand tons of oil from reserves due to the interruption of Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline. In March, then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government introduced price caps: 595 forints ($1.75) per liter for gasoline and 615 forints for diesel, to moderate price rises amid the global crises.
After the change of government, the new government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar continued the control measures, noting that gas stations can sell fuel at limited prices only to domestic customers. Fuel operators now buy from MOL at fixed prices and have to sell it that way.
According to the Hungary Today portal, strategic diesel stocks at gas stations have already been exhausted, while independent operators claim that there is no real physical shortage, but that the problem lies in the system of regulated prices. They state that the pumps operate without profit, but they still have to pay taxes.
The MOL company claims that the supply is stable and that it produces enough fuel for all partners, but does not comment in detail on the claims of independent distributors. The new Minister of Energy, István Kapitány, rejected the possibility of an immediate change in the regulated prices, stating that there is currently no room for that.
The average price of fuel on the market on Thursday was about HUF 684 for gasoline and HUF 705 for diesel.
(Vijesti.ba)
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