Diesel now costs more than gasoline at gas stations

A liter of diesel oil already costs more than gasoline and ethanol at gas stations and even exceeds the amount charged for gasoline with additives in some places, something unprecedented according to Sincopetro (a union representing the stations). The report found examples in the city of São Paulo and on the internet there are also reports from other states.

The situation is a direct reflection of the last increase announced by Petrobras, on the 17th, which readjusted by 5.2% the price of gasoline in refineries and by 14.2% the value of diesel. At the time, the state-owned company claimed that the oil market is undergoing a structural change and that it is necessary to seek convergence with international prices.

This Thursday (23), at the Papa network station located on the Tietê riverfront, in Vila Leopoldina, in São Paulo, the S-10 type diesel liter was sold for R$0.40 more than regular gasoline. While gasoline is sold for R$6.69 a liter, regular diesel costs R$7.09. In the case of additive diesel and gasoline options, the difference is also R$ 0.40 per liter.

The difference is even greater at Autoposto Brasil, in Vila Guilherme, where a liter of regular diesel costs R$7.18, while a liter of regular gasoline is sold at R$6.58, a variation of R$0.60. per liter.

Working in the fuel retail sector for almost 50 years, businessman Francisco Pereira Simão, owner of Autoposto Novo Mundo, on the Tietê riverside, says he has never seen the price of diesel being higher than that of gasoline.

“The price of diesel was always 70% of what was charged for gasoline. It was sold at almost the same price as ethanol”, he says.

This week, after recent adjustments, the dealership began selling a liter of diesel oil at R$7.49, and gasoline at R$6.99 (both in the common version).

At the establishment, half of the revenue comes from the sale of diesel oil while the other half is divided between sales of gasoline and ethanol. Therefore, the adjustment passed by the distributor left the businessman worried.

“Every time the price goes up, the profit goes down and so does our working capital. The money from last week’s sale doesn’t buy this week’s fuel.”

At Autoposto Pêssego, on Avenida Jacu-Pêssego, east side, a liter of diesel is sold at R$7.19, and that of gasoline is sold at R$6.79.

At Autoposto Vitrine 2, on Américo Sugai Street, also on the east side, a liter of gasoline is R$0.50 cheaper than diesel. On site, fuel is sold for R$ 6.79 and R$ 7.29 a liter, respectively.

At Autoposto Pêssego, on Sábado D’Angelo avenue, the sign dawned this Thursday announcing diesel oil R$0.10 cheaper than gasoline, at R$6.99 a liter. But by mid-morning prices have already changed, says manager Daniel Francisco. Now, the liter of fuel is now sold at R$7.79, while gasoline has dropped to R$6.99.

“Usually, we have a lot of diesel output here at the gas station. But, as we haven’t changed the price since Saturday, we had a great demand these last few days. Yesterday we needed to replenish the stock and the product came with a higher price on the note.”

José Alberto Gouveia, president of Sincopetro, a union that represents stations in São Paulo, says that resellers are already feeling a drop in sales volume, including diesel oil, due to the latest increases.

“The use of diesel in private cars is practically zero, it is quite consumed in the transport of cargo and in the transport of people. It is a product that cannot be saved, either the driver uses it or he does not work. Even so, we had a fall sensitive in sales.”

Gouveia says that dealerships are the last link in the chain that defines fuel prices and that the transfer made by distributors to dealerships was greater than that practiced by Petrobras, which helps to justify diesel being more expensive than other fuels.

“For some time, prices were very close to each other and in this last adjustment, diesel oil had a higher increase than gasoline.”

The soaring price of diesel reflects a tightening in the international fuel market, given the reduction in Russian supply and the increase in consumption for energy generation in countries affected by cuts in gas supplies from Russia.

The price of diesel in refineries is historically higher than that of gasoline, but the difference in the tax burden made Brazilian consumers pay less for the latter.

In the first week of June, according to Petrobras, each liter of gasoline sold at stations had R$ 2.44 in federal and state taxes. In diesel, it was R$ 0.82 — in this case, there are currently only state taxes, since the federal government has zeroed out its share.

Restrictions on diesel supply worry the fuel market in the country, which sees risks of product shortages at the beginning of the second half, especially if the hurricane season forces the shutdown of refineries in the United States.

Netizens’ reaction on social media

Netizens have expressed themselves on social media in recent days, outraged at the price of diesel oil being sold more expensive than gasoline.

A resident of Porto Alegre, Humberto Matos shared prices charged by fuel resellers in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

In the photo taken on June 21, internet user Ramon Cujui, from Porto Velho (RO) highlighted the variation in the price of regular gasoline and S-10 diesel with additives, sold at R$7.05 and R$7.65 respectively. “Congratulations to those involved,” he wrote in the publication.

In Juazeiro do Norte, in the state of Ceará, the liter of diesel oil is already approaching R$9. “This is unusual”, posted the internet user Rubens.

A resident of São José do Egypt, in the interior of Pernambuco, internet user Jackson Ferreira also highlighted the variation in prices. “I have never seen diesel more expensive than gasoline in the northeastern hinterland,” he wrote.

Distributors say they do not set pricing policies

By means of a note, Ipiranga informed that it practices a pricing policy on a regular basis and in line with the current parameters.

Regarding the price of diesel compared to gasoline, the company says that the markets are different, not competing with each other, “as well as the impacts of costs, which are also different regarding the refinery and imports. There is no impact on our strategy corporate or pricing”.

ALE said that it does not interfere in the definition of prices at gas stations, which have autonomous administrations.

Vibra, a Petrobras distributor, informed that pricing is free in the different markets and that each dealer has different levels of product cost formation and competitiveness, which leads to a difference in the prices charged at pumps throughout Brazil.