Motorists are facing a fresh rise in petrol costs with the average price of a litre of unleaded expected to hit the €1.30 mark by next week.
It is understood Maxol will raise its wholesale price by 10 cent from today, and other distributors will follow suit. Oil firms say the rise results from a series of international shocks, the latest being Hurricane Katrina, which is feared to have damaged US oil refineries.
Asked about the likelihood of the price of unleaded hitting €1.30 a litre next week, Maxol Group managing director Tom Noonan said: "While we will await developments, it's inevitable that this price will appear right across the board in the coming days."
Other firms have declined to comment on expected price changes.
A spokesman for Texaco said yesterday its policy was to be competitive wherever it operated but it would not discuss "commercially sensitive information".
The expected 8 per cent jump in retail prices will mean that prices have gone up by 25 per cent in just over six weeks, a rate of inflation unseen in Ireland since the oil crises of the 1970s.
The first of a series of shocks came last month with the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, an event which prompted concern about fresh instability in the Middle East. Fears about the political situation in both Iraq and Iran and the rising demand for oil in China have also helped to boost the cost of a barrel of oil to record levels.
The cost of home heating oil has also climbed sharply, and home-owners dependent on the fuel are in for a further blow with prices due to rise for the winter in line with seasonal shortages.
Meanwhile, fuel-dependent hauliers have threatened disruptive action on the roads unless the Minister for Finance moves to alleviate the price rises in the sector. The Irish Road Haulage Association met Minister for Finance Brian Cowen recently to call for a duty rebate for hard-pressed licensed hauliers.
Earlier yesterday, the director of consumer affairs published figures showing motorists can save up to €5 on a 30-litre refill of petrol if they shop around.
The study identified large price differentials between service stations, particularly in Dublin.
Texaco on Upper Drumcondra Road, a short distance from the Taoiseach's constituency office, had the highest prices for both unleaded petrol and diesel among the 249 service stations surveyed, at 123.8 cent and 121.8 cent per litre respectively. (The prices are now 127.1 and 123.2 respectively.)
In contrast, eight stations in Dublin charged 107.9 cent per litre, while a garage in Pollerton, Co Carlow charged just 106.9 cent.
The survey, conducted in 12 counties on August 29th and 30th, showed the average retail price of petrol had risen by 12.3 per cent and of diesel by almost 15.8 per cent in the past year. The average price for a litre of unleaded stood at a record 111.1 cent, and for a litre of diesel at 109.3 cent.
Price differentials were found to be greatest in Dublin, with a 16-cent margin between the cheapest and dearest petrol price per litre, compared to a 12-cent margin outside of the capital. Diesel prices in the capital also varied to a higher degree - by 17 cent per litre, compared to 13 cent outside Dublin. Such differentials produced a saving of up to €5.10 on a 30-litre refill.
The counties surveyed were Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Longford, Louth, Meath, Roscommon, Westmeath and Wicklow.
Price survey: what Carmel Foley found Petrol and diesel prices, cent per litre, August 29th-30th, 2005
Cheapest in Dublin Petrol ... Diesel
KCR Cross, Dublin 6 107.9 ... 105.9
Shell, Wainsfort Rd, Dublin 6 107.9 ... 105.9
Esso, Ballymun Rd 107.9 ... 105.9
Tesco, Dundrum Town Centre 107.9 ... 105.9
Grange, Grange Rd, Baldoyle 107.9 ... 105.9
Three other service stations had the same prices for petrol and diesel: Shell, Donaghmede; Statoil, North Road, Finglas; and Shell, Glasnevin Road.
Cheapest outside Dublin Petrol ... Diesel
Independent, Pollerton, Co Carlow 106.9 ... 105.9
Shell, Tullow Road, Carlow 107.9 ... 105.9
Top, Hacketstown Rd, Carlow 107.9 ... 106.9
Shell, Ballincollig, Co Cork 108.9 ... 103.5
King, Dublin Rd, Athy, Co Kildare 108.8 ... 105.8
Dearest in Dublin Petrol ... Diesel
Texaco, Uppr Drumcondra Rd 123.8 ... 121.8
Texaco, North St, Swords 119.9 ... 116.5
Statoil, Coolmine Business Pk, D15 114.9 ... 114.9
Esso, Old Airport Rd, Cloghran 114.9 ... 112.9
Maxol, Rivervalley, Swords 114.9 ... 112.9
Dearest outside Dublin Petrol ... Diesel
Statoil, Summerhill, Co Meath 119.0 ... 117.0
Top, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath 117.9 ... 114.9
Campus, Kells, Co Meath 116.9 ... 109.0
Campus, Blackmill St, Kilkenny 115.9 ... 116.9
Statoil, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow 115.9 ... 111.9
Source: Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (www.odca.ie)
