Release of diesel stocks: distributors must “clearly” display the price drop

Fuel distributors will have to indicate “clearly through a visible display” the amount of the reduction in the price of diesel linked to the destocking of strategic reserves decided in mid-October by the government, according to a decree published Thursday in the Official Journal.

“The consumer is clearly informed by a visible, readable and easily accessible display in the area of ​​the service station” of the amount of the price reduction, indicates the decree dated October 26 and published Thursday.

The amount of the price reduction must be “at least equal to the amount excluding taxes of the benefit passed on relative to the sales volume to which it is attributed, increased by the taxes applicable to it”, indicates the official text. France announced on October 12 to make ten million barrels of diesel from its strategic stocks available to distributors, in proportion to their 2025 market share, in the hope of reducing the price of a liter at the pump by 12 to 18 cents.

In the process, the oil and gas giant TotalEnergies, which capped its prices at service stations, committed to reducing the price of a liter of diesel for individuals by 8 to 12 cents and that of a liter of non-road diesel (GNR) by 20 cents, after destocking. The measure announced by the government also concerns non-road diesel (NGR) used by farmers, fishermen or the construction industry, but not gasoline.

The operation, which should last until the end of January, plans to sell to distributors these stocks purchased before the war in the Middle East at 0.28 euros per liter, significantly less than the current market price, which was around 1.10 euros per liter in mid-October, according to Matignon. These strategic stocks, which amount to around 100 million barrels of hydrocarbons, around half of which are diesel, are kept for extreme situations. French diesel consumption over three months stood at 54 million barrels, Matignon declared in mid-October.