Dutch petrol prices rose to a record high on Wednesday. According to consumer discount platform UnitedConsumers, the average recommended pump price charged by major oil companies has moved slightly above the previous record set a week earlier.
On Wednesday, the recommended price increased by 0.4 cents to €2.726 per litre. A day earlier, the price of Euro95 rose by 4 cents per litre. The increase followed sharp rises in oil prices, partly caused by the closure of a major east-west pipeline in Saudi Arabia after a drone attack.
Oil prices have since eased slightly. However, it remains unclear when the Saudi pipeline will return to service.
Iran War
Oil prices have remained elevated for months due to the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The average recommended diesel price in the Netherlands has now reached €2.777 per litre. The highest diesel price on record was in April, when it peaked at €2.819 per litre.
These recommended prices are typically charged at motorway service stations. At other filling stations, motorists can often pay several cents less per litre. Fuel prices in the Netherlands consist largely of taxes, making the country one of Europe’s leaders in fuel excise duties.
Even more expensive
Experts expect fuel prices to rise further in the coming months. “I do not rule out that we will hit 3 euros on the highway,” energy expert Hans van Cleef of consultancy EqoLibrium said earlier this month.
Fuel has long been significantly cheaper in Belgium than in the Netherlands. Drive, the association representing petrol stations, said the cabinet’s Budget Day plans paid too little attention to entrepreneurs in border regions. According to the organisation, many Dutch motorists near the border are choosing to refuel abroad, reducing revenue for local filling stations.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
