Eni has announced a cap on the price of fuels marketed by Enilive: from 28 September petrol will not exceed 1.99 euros per liter and diesel 2.19 euros per litre. The limit will initially remain in effect for 30 days. The company will then evaluate a possible extension until the end of the year, based on market and supply trends.
How much you can save
According to calculations communicated by Eni, the two prices are approximately 17 cents per liter lower than current average levels. On a refueling of 50 litres, the difference would therefore be around 8.50 euros compared to those reference values. However, this is not a fixed discount at the pump: the actual saving will depend on the price charged by the distributor before the cap comes into force.
The price cap is linked to the excise tax relief currently in force. Eni presents the initiative as an intervention to support families and businesses in a phase of sharp increase in fuel prices. The company attributes the pressure on prices to the contraction in the international supply of refined products, linked to geopolitical crises, and to the reduction in European refining capacity: according to Eni, almost 30 refineries have closed in Europe in the last 15 years.
Eni’s move
The group claims to have already absorbed, since last March, part of the increases in international prices, transferring them only partially to the recommended prices of its network. It also recalls investments in the biorefineries of Venice and Gela and in the transformation project of the Livorno site. The cap announced now will have an initial deadline at the end of October: its possible extension will depend on market conditions in the coming months.
Eni’s strategy obviously also responds to precise (and legitimate) marketing choices. On the one hand it could prove useful for draining customers to the competition; on the other hand, it can ease political pressure and avoid new controversies over profits in the energy sector.
The price of petrol and diesel and the discount halved from Saturday
Today, 25 September, according to data collected by the Observatory on fuel prices, the average price in “self service” mode along the road network is 2.154 euros per liter for petrol and 2.338 euros per liter for diesel, the same levels as yesterday. From Saturday 26 September, however, diesel fuel could experience increases. As a result of the latest legislative decree on excise duties and car tax, until 5 October the current discount of 12.2 cents (including VAT) will drop to 6.1 cents.