Fuels: the price of diesel has fallen by 15 cents on average since the release of stocks, assures Roland Lescure

The government's promise on fuels is coming to fruition, he welcomes. Diesel prices have been falling for several days, with 6,600 of the 10,000 French stations having reduced their prices, by 15 cents on average, after the release of strategic stocks, Roland Lescure said on Wednesday.

“Today we have 3,000 stations out of 10,000 whose drop exceeds 20 cents,” added the Minister of the Economy on BFMTV/RMC. “On a full tank of 45 liters, which is a normal full tank, we save 9 euros, that’s almost a 10% reduction, it’s very important,” he stressed.

This dynamic is added to the compensation of 100 euros for “heavy drivers”, which benefits low-income households who have to use their car to go to work. “This aid has been extended, extended” for the “last three months of the year,” argued Roland Lescure.

The drop in prices constitutes a “significant effort” for the government, underlined the minister. The executive announced in October that it would sell at cost price to distributors ten million barrels of diesel from strategic stocks for three months, from November to January, in order to lower prices at the pump, to historically high levels since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, triggered by strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.

This clearance began on Sunday November 1st. “As strategic stocks arrive in the pumps, they drop,” said Roland Lescure, stressing that this drop was observed in “small stations” but that these may take longer to be supplied. “They will have three months ahead of them to (...) make these price reductions for their consumers,” he recalled.

On Tuesday, Trade Minister Serge Papin reported a drop in diesel prices at 6,000 stations, of 12 euro cents on average.