Clearances of petrol, diesel and gas in July were down on last year, possibly due to consumers cutting back on buying fuel due to rising prices, the latest data from the Central Statistics Office shows.
Clearances of diesel were 5 per cent lower in July than in the same period last year and matched that of July 2020. The data shows 296 million litres were cleared, which was also 6 per cent lower than July 2019.
Clearances of petrol, at 81 million litres, were 3 per cent lower than in July 2021 and were 13 per cent lower than July 2019.
Excise clearances of marked gas oil, primarily used for off-road purposes such as agriculture and heating of larger buildings, were 6 per cent lower than in July 2021.
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The CSO said the lower levels of clearances may be due to consumers cutting back on buying fuel due to rising prices.
Clearances of kerosene, mainly used as heating fuel, in July were 1 per cent lower than in July 2021.
CSO statistician Paul McElvaney said the data for petrol “fits with the general decreasing trend in petrol volumes over the last 15 years”.
“These general decreasing trends in fuel excise clearances may be a result of rising fuel prices as shown in the wholesale price index figures, leading to consumers cutting back on fuel use over the summer months before demand increases in winter,” he added.
