[Grifter]

There are some out of the way places in Lancashire thats for sure but 107p is taking advantage IMO.

93.9 for standard unleaded
94.9 for diesel

Large village 20 miles west(ish) of manchester from this afternoon, I only made a mental note because of this thread. Interesting that someone else noted that this 1p difference is unusual, it is but I don't know from what date the price gap narrowed so much.

Edit: Edited typo

[Twilight]

93.9 for standard unleaded
94.9 for diesel

Large village 20 miles west(ish) of manchester from this afternoon, I only made a mental note because of this thread. Interesting that someone else noted that this 1p difference is unusual, it is but I don't know from what date the price gap narrowed so much.

Exactly this in the Midlands. The gap in the averages has narrowed 0.6p in the last two weeks to below 2p, which might be significant, but we won't know unless it continues through May.

If anyone sees unleaded on sale at the same price or higher than diesel, that would be a very interesting observation.

[fluffy]

If anyone sees unleaded on sale at the same price or higher than diesel, that would be a very interesting observation.

This morning, garage next to work (Central Bath) = 95.9p for Diesel and Petrol.

I'd assume that this implies a slight petrol(Gasoline) shortage, possibly caused by exporting too much.. and I assume that a typical feature of the pre-peak/plateau period is going to be a change from lighter to heavier grades of oil and a consequent higher basic yield of diesel over petrol.

[whereagles]

Prices here @ Portugal:

unleaded 95 octane: 1,354 € / litre (5,13 $/gal)
diesel: 1,059 € / litre (4,01 $/gal)

I guess I can say it's not that bad around here

[DantesPeak]

Looks like talks tomorrow are the last chance to avoid a scale down in refinery production.

LLOYDS LIST
Informa Martime Trade and Transport
May 1, 2007

Strikes set to disrupt Belgian refineries

Jamie Dale

BELGIAN workers will begin strike action on May 9 which could paralyse refineries in Antwerp .

The employers' federation has received letters from three major Belgian unions, the Christian ACV, socialist FGBT and liberal ACLVB, informing it of their intention to strike .

Talks between the Belgian Petroleum Federation and the unions have been ongoing but Lloyd's List understands that a formal position has yet to be taken, whilst informal discussions are still under way.

The three major refineries in Antwerp that would be severely affected by a strike have a capacity of around 745,000 barrels per day.

[subscription service, no link]

[partypooper]

Drove past a Total garage in Lincoln this morning that was showing:

Unleaded - 95.9p/litre

Diesel - 94.9p/litre

When you think about it, this is pretty unusual

[Gerben]

Here is a list of Dutch historic prices for one chain of fueling stations. Unleaded has become slightly more expensive when compared to diesel. (Of which € 0,015 can be explained by government measures as of January 1st.) Such a difference has happened before during the summer, so it's not yet exceptional.

[DantesPeak]

Antwerp refiners begin to cut back production as strike looms; industry association warns of petrol shortages:

5/2/07 Agence Fr.-Presse 16:58:00
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ENGLISH WIRE
May 2, 2007

Belgian oil refiners cut output amid strike threats

BRUSSELS, May 2, 2007 (AFP) - The Belgian oil sector began reducing production on Wednesday amid threats of strike action, the BRAFCO industry association said.

Wage negotiations between unions and big international oil groups such as ExxonMobil and Total active in Antwerp failed to lead to an agreement, BRAFCO official Olivier Neirynck told AFP.

Christian trade union CSC has warned of a strike if an agreement is not found by May 9 while Socialist union FGTB has threatened to down tools from May 20 if a deal is not struck.

"Refineries can't be shut down all of a sudden, so companies have slowly started to reduce their (refining) activity," Neirynck said.

ExxonMobil, Total and the Belgian Refining Federation all declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Belgium's refiners are mostly based near the northern port city of Antwerp and pump 700,000 barrels of product per day.

"We've asked our associates to build up stocks in order to make up for a halt in production if a strike happens," Neirynck said.

He said that fuelling stations should be able to get by for a week or two before being hit by shortages.

[no link]

Belgian fuel production slows as strike action looms - fuel supply federation

Published : Wed, 02 May 2007 18:40

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - The Belgian fuel industry has started to slow down production as strike action looms, which could lead to an increase in prices and a shortage at the pumps, said Brafco, the Belgian federation of fuel suppliers.

Negotiations over salaries at the sector level between large groups in Antwerp -- including Exxon Mobil Corp and Total SA -- and unions have not come to an agreement, Brafco technical director Olivier Neirynck told Agence France-Presse.

Union CSC has warned that if an agreement is not struck before May 9, a strike will take place the next day.

'The companies have started to reduce their operations,' Neirynck said.

ExxonMobil and Total declined to comment.

ABC Money UK

[snowhope]

Tesco in N Ireland (cheapest supplier) Unleaded Petrol is 93.9ppl, Low sulphur diesel is 94.9ppl - recent reduction in the normal 2.0ppl difference between petrol and diesel down to 1.0ppl. Many other petrol stations selling Petrol at 96.9ppl and Diesel at 97.9ppl. I noticed one unbranded country supplier selling Petrol and Diesel at 91.9ppl each. Long time (few years) since I have seen them at the same price.

I can see petrol prices rising above diesel over the next 2 weeks due to strike, if nothing else......

[DantesPeak]

Question - Has the Estonia-Russia energy dispute affected any energy prices in Europe at all yet?


Antwerp strike averted for now.

UPDATE: Belgian Oil Unions Mull New Pay Deal; Strike Averted

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
May 3, 2007 7:06 a.m.

LONDON (Dow Jones)--A strike threatening Belgium's oil refineries has been averted for now, after negotiators drafted an improved pay proposal for sector workers late Wednesday, union and employer representatives said Thursday.

The unions will present the draft labor agreement to job stewards Thursday night, and workers will then vote on the proposal in a May 24 referendum, said Herman Baele from the FGTB union.

"The strike has been annulled until we know what the workers think," said Baele.

Fred Van Melkebeke, spokesman for the employers' group, the Belgian Petroleum Federation said: "We have a proposal of a collective labor agreement. We have reached a compromise and a strike will be put off."

Melkebeke said that the pay deal was "unlikely" to be voted down by workers, but added that a rejection would reactivate the 9-day notice period for the strikes.

Wall Street Journal

[sameu]

that's correct
they're consulting the employers now and won't go on strike until the 24th
the unions think this is a good agreement and will try to convince their members to ratify the agreement

[papafoo]

Gas has reached record prices in Switzerland.

A news article yesterday was quoting I can't remember which oil industry guy who was saying that the current prices were due to low raffinery capacity and US imports.

[joewp]

Gas has reached record prices in Switzerland.

A news article yesterday was quoting I can't remember which oil industry guy who was saying that the current prices were due to low raffinery capacity and US imports.

It couldn't be lack of crude oil supplies, no way!

The world is burning and we get the world's smallest violin playing "My Heart Bleeds for You".

It will just get worse every year from now on.

[papafoo]

Why are you trying to say joewp? The price of oil is currently "relatively" low and is even falling on the Nymex.

The gas prices seem therefore to be rising not due to any crude oil shortage but from gas "shortage" due to raffinery limitations and US demand as Pup55 put it.

[Twilight]

Why are you trying to say joewp? The price of oil is currently "relatively" low and is even falling on the Nymex.

The gas prices seem therefore to be rising not due to any crude oil shortage but from gas "shortage" due to raffinery limitations and US demand as Pup55 put it.

That's because US oil inventory is high, because the refineries aren't coping. If the refineries were working at capacity, the inventories would be low, because of insufficient oil of the type that can most readily be refined over there. Then we would see high oil prices.

It's all the same problem - not enough light sweet crude, but it can materialise in a number of different ways depending on other factors. However, the media and the public can't handle even this basic level of detail, so the answer inevitably is a problem there, and only there, and not fundamental lack of supply.

As we roll down the slope, the problems will spread from their current limited areas. Eventually inventories of absolutely every product will be low, and prices high. It will be interesting where the problem is diagnosed then.

[Tuike]

I watched 20:30 tv news and one of the news items was that gasoline price is about to increase by the weekend. There's driving season beginning in the USA and gasoline shortage is coming there due to refinery problems. News reporter interviewed a gas seller, who said they have to obey worldwide gasoline futures and there's nothing that can be done about it. Then reporter interviewed a customer at a gas station, who said that he has solved the problem by refuelling less so it costs the same all the time, there's just less fuel at the tank...

[Twilight]

Then reporter interviewed a customer at a gas station, who said that he has solved the problem by refuelling less so it costs the same all the time, there's just less fuel at the tank...

So he is letting the international free market draw down his own inventory?

Anyway, the UK unleaded pump average keeps on rising (95.1p), steadily gaining on diesel (96.5p). In the South, prices are generally equal from what I have seen, and unleaded is catching up in the North. However, my local station has decided to increase its diesel higher than unleaded, so there's a 3p difference. Only seems unusual in the current climate, and I treat it as an outlier.

If we see the unleaded average exceed 100p per litre this summer, it could make the news. Frankly, that too is affordable, but if the situation in the US is dire enough to make it into the inernational mainstream at the same time, that could start a lively debate about why we are exporting product while the North Sea is crashing and we are a net oil importer. That was not part of the debate in 2000, but could add an international element to it. If of course, the media shows any sign of intelligent insight.

[Tuike]

Somebody wrote a letter about high gas prices to HS newspaper which was published today. The letter says gasoline prices are rising without sensible reason. The Neste oil company is just greedy and people in remote areas have to suffer because oil companies are mean.

Let's see if somebody at oil business sents a reply to the newspaper. There might be more these kind of letters coming in the summer.

[shortonoil]

The gasoline squeeze seems to be not only coming to North America and Europe, but the entire world seems to be seeing price increases. Here are two reports of price increases: one from South Korea and one from Pakistan. I have also see reports for Eastern Europe and parts of South East Asia, including India.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/na ... _2778.html

http://www.dawn.com/2007/05/13/ebr14.htm

[Twilight]

Yesterday's UK national averages (per litre)

Ave / Min / Max

Unleaded: 95.9p 91.9p 104.9p
Diesel: 96.8p 91.9p 106.9p
LRP: 99.7p 93.9p 101.9p
Super: 102.1p 94.9p 110.9p
LPG: 46.2p 39.9p 52.9p

As you can see, unleaded continues its climb, the rate now averaging over 0.1p per day. Diesel isn't up by anywhere near as much, price differential now down to 0.9p per litre and closing. This is reflected in numerous stations selling unleaded and diesel at the same price.

I think we are at this point exporting unleaded differently to before.