Gov’t raises fuel prices following February oil hikes

AMMAN — The government’s fuel pricing committee on Thursday decided to raise the prices of gasoline and diesel for March.

According to the committee decision, the price of 1 litre of unleaded 90-octane gasoline will go up from JD0.695 per litre in February to JD0.720, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The price per litre of unleaded 95-octane gasoline will sell at JD0.940 in March, compared with JD0.905 the month before.

The price of diesel will increase per litre to JD0.600, compared with JD0.560 in February.

The panel maintained the price of 1 litre of kerosene at JD0.560.

The Cabinet in December 2018 decided to keep the price of kerosene unchanged for the first four months of 2019.

On the other hand, if global prices go down, the December decision stipulates that the panel lowers the price of kerosene accordingly. 

According to the statement carried by Petra, the Cabinet’s decision recognises the importance of kerosene fuel for citizens in winter, especially for low-income households who use it to keep warm in the cold season.

Regarding the price hikes on other fuels, the committee explained that the price per barrel of crude Brent oil has increased to $64 in February, from $59.3 in January.

As for gas cylinders, the panel said it maintained the local price unchanged at JD7 despite the increase in international rates to JD8.

The committee attributed the decision to pin gas cylinder prices to the government’s attempts to help mitigate the burdens of the low-income classes in light of the current economic situation.

Prices of oil derivatives in the local market are calculated based on international prices, plus other costs that include shipping, handling and taxes.

Meanwhile, the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission Council decided on Thursday to maintain the “differences in fuel prices” category on monthly electricity bills for February at 10 fils per kilowatt-hour (kWh), Petra reported.

The “differences in fuel prices” category excludes households that consume 300kWh or less per month.