Tank discount on June 1st: Industry representatives warn of customer rush - "Could be dramatic"
Created: 05/06/2022, 02:33 p.m
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
The EU Commission sets the course for an oil boycott against Russia.
A gas station boss now expects higher prices.
(Archive image) © Arielle Bader/Imago
The traffic light is planning a tank discount for June 1st.
In addition, the EU Commission is preparing an oil boycott against Russia.
The gas stations are preparing for an eventful turn of the month.
Munich – The EU Commission is preparing an oil embargo against Russia.
This is also reflected in the fuel prices.
Within a week, the price for a liter of Super E10 has risen by 4.8 cents compared to the previous week and is currently at 2.002 euros on average nationwide.
This shows the current ADAC evaluation of fuel prices in Germany.
Oil embargo: Gas station boss expects high price jumps
Consumers are now wondering how the situation will change for them at the petrol stations.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) expects high "price jumps" in the event of an embargo.
One of the reasons is that Russian oil must be replaced by probably more expensive alternatives from other countries.
In addition, the conversion of refineries and delivery routes means effort and costs.
After all, no "oil crisis" is to be expected even without Russian deliveries, said Habeck.
According to him, the share of Russian oil in German consumption has fallen from 35 to 12 percent within a few weeks.
Duraid El Obeid, chairman of the Federal Association of Independent Gas Stations and head of 140 Sprint brand gas stations in the greater Berlin area, sees things similarly.
Like Habeck, he expects high prices, he said in an interview with
Wirtschaftswoche: "
We will soon see prices above two euros per liter for petrol again, maybe 2.20 euros per liter."
Petrol station boss: "June 1st could be really dramatic"
If Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped oil deliveries immediately, he even expects further price increases – but at least not that the gas stations would run out of fuel, since “the quantities can very likely be bought elsewhere”.
There is only one specific date that worries the petrol station boss in this context: "June 1st could be really dramatic," he revealed to the magazine.
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The reason: Then the federal government's tank discount will start, which should reduce the price for diesel by 17 cents and for petrol by 36 cents per liter.
El Obeid fears: “People will stop filling up their cars at the end of May, they will come on June 1st.
During this time, all gas stations need even more fuel.
The run on the gas stations is going to be historic.”
Oil boycott: problems for small gas station operators
This could cause difficulties for small gas station operators in particular: they usually do not secure the mineral oil through annual contracts, but after the spot markets have closed they have to purchase the mineral oil from dealers or directly from mineral oil companies.
But: “The purchase prices are high, the banks require more collateral for pre-financing loans.
That could put gas station operators under a lot of pressure," El Obeid told
Wirtschaftswoche
.
He fears: "In the near future there will certainly be some petrol stations that will temporarily either not be able to buy enough mineral oil on the market or not be able to do so in time." It is not known whether they will then no longer be able to offer petrol or diesel.
"In my opinion, however, vacancies will not only affect free petrol stations," says the petrol station boss.
With material from the dpa
