The price of diesel has risen more than 13 cents and that of gasoline 8 cents on average at service stations in the province of Girona since last Saturday. The increase, which has occurred in just five days, has placed the average price of a liter of diesel at 1.606 euros and that of gasoline at 1.575 euros.
The conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shoot up prices
The Catalan petrol stations' employers' association, Agrucaes, attributes this rebound to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic 38-kilometer passage through which nearly a fifth of the world's oil supply circulates. The launching of missiles and attacks on several ships in the area have caused Middle East energy exports to remain largely isolated from the rest of the world.
In this context, the Brent crude barrel, a reference in Europe, exceeds 82 dollars, while American Texas stands above 75 dollars. The weekly rise recorded in Girona is the largest in the last month and a half.
Direct impact on users and stabilization forecast
In just five days, gasoline has risen by 5.3% and diesel by 9.4%. Filling a 50-liter gasoline tank now costs approximately 78 euros, while in the case of diesel the amount rises to 80.30 euros. The additional cost compared to five days ago is about 4 euros for gasoline and almost 7 euros for diesel.
Users have shared images of queues at a Girona gas station on social media, taking advantage of discounts during night hours. The employers' association foresees that the price increase will peak at the end of the week.
"Where supply has been most strained has been in the cases of diesel heating or truck depots, where the price increase is accentuated" - Albert Campabadal, president of Agrucaes
Comparison with previous crises and diversification of supplies
Albert Campabadal, president of Agrucaes, points out that the current situation is not as serious as that experienced after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, since the dependence on Russia was then much greater.
"The situation that was experienced with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine was much worse because the dependence on Russia was also greater"
Currently, according to the employers' association, there is a greater diversification of supplies and the proportion of fuels arriving in Girona from the Persian Gulf stands between 10% and 20%. This, according to Campabadal, reduces the impact compared to previous crises.
"At this moment there is a lot of diversification of supplies and what reaches us from the Persian Gulf is between 10% and 20%, with which the impact is less than then"