Why is a liter of diesel at the pump now almost 30 centimeters more expensive than a liter of gasoline? Is the state slacking here?
E. Lupp, Zurich
Partially. About five inches more per liter than gasoline is actually due to higher taxation for diesel. This is because the mineral oil tax takes into account the high carbon content of diesel.
Diesel and gasoline are traded on exchanges or spot markets in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Amsterdam and Antwerp (B). However, the price is not calculated there. Rather, it depends on supply and demand – so if demand increases, refineries sell their products more expensively.
diesel similar to heating oil
Chemically, diesel is very similar to heating oil. Because natural gas is currently extremely expensive, many companies use oil instead of gas in their processes. So-called “dual fuel systems” make this possible, causing the demand for and price of heating oil to rise sharply. And then comes the diesel price, because for the refinery, diesel is almost the same product as heating oil.
In addition, there are no refineries that can produce only diesel/heating fuel or only oil from crude oil, or that can quickly switch between two products during production. All this, with geopolitical implications, meant that heating oil and diesel were never as expensive as they were this year, and that the liter of diesel at the pump was sometimes 30 centimeters more than the 95 liter of unleaded gasoline.
In case the gas prices fall below the heating oil prices again, it can be foreseen that the diesel prices will decrease. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict when this will happen.