The jump in the prices of liquid fuels in Greece is unprecedented as a consequence of the increase in the price of crude oil to 130 dollars per barrel due to the war in Ukraine, the Athens business newspaper “Economics Tahidromos” writes today.
The price increases are “cataclysmic not only from day to day, but also from hour to hour”, and the average price of unleaded gasoline in Greece now exceeds two euros per liter, the paper writes.
The price of heating oil used by individual boiler rooms of residential buildings in Greek cities reaches or exceeds 1.5 euros per liter, which is affected by today’s cooling and the announcement of a blizzard in much of Greece.
Unleaded petrol is 40 percent more expensive in Greece today than at the beginning of this year, and heating oil by 75 percent compared to last year.
Representatives of gas station owners even said that at the pace at which the market is moving, the prices of unleaded gasoline in the coming days could reach 2.5 euros per liter, especially if oil continues to rise in price on the international market.
This creates huge problems in households, especially for those who have to travel to work by car every day or often, or because they do not have another means of transportation, the paper points out. Because of the fear of the corona virus, many do not want to use public transportation.
Today, the average price of 95-octane unleaded gasoline in and around Athens is 2,030 euros per liter, which is the average price for Greece. In the area of Thessaloniki, the average price of that gasoline is 2,020 euros per liter, and in the Cyclades it was close to 2.2 euros per liter.
Average prices of diesel are above 1.8 euros per liter, which creates conditions for large increases in the price of goods due to the increase in truck transport costs, which is expected to be transferred to retail prices, ie to consumers. The increase in the price of diesel fuel this year exceeds 54 percent.
The situation is similar elsewhere in Europe, and, for example, the price of unleaded petrol (E10) and diesel at gas stations in Germany exceeded two euros per liter for the first time, the German General Automobile Club (ADAC) announced.