Glenn Wickman
RESIDENTS in Castellon Province are being hit with a double whammy of expense.
Not only has the Spanish electricity bill become 50% dearer at peak times – as reported by The Olive Press – but now petrol and diesel are at all-time record highs too.
Filling up a 50-litre tank of 95 petrol in the province’s 170 service stations currently costs up to €14 more than this time last year, while the same amount of diesel has increased by €11.
Figures released by the Ministry for Ecological Transition show that one litre of 95 petrol cost an average of €1.07 at Castellon service stations at the end of May 2020 – 26.2% cheaper than now.
Diesel has gone up from €0.99 a litre in 2020 to €1.21 this year.
Even worse, experts warn that the upwards trend in prices has only just begun, and that travelling by car this summer will be considerably more expensive than in past years as rising demand will continue pushing up costs.
Although the increase is said to have been gradual, with prices rising by only 15% throughout this year so far, now is when consumers are feeling the impact as ailing businesses begin slowly recovering and families take to the road for holidays and trips.
Fuel costs plummeted to record-breaking lows during the lockdown last year, but with the lifting of restrictions and the economy getting back on its feet, the trend has reversed drastically.
Spokespeople for the Castellon service station sector point out that half the cost of fuel is tax, with diesel in particular due to become much more expensive as the Spanish government enforces the recently approved ‘climate change and energy transition’ law.
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