The introduction of mandatory bioethanol content did not cause a sharp increase in fuel prices. Moreover, at some gas stations, the price even went down. Market participants reacted without panic — the level of demand did not change, and the fight for customers forced operators to resort to discounts more often.
However, overall, companies behaved cautiously. Due to the slow rise in oil prices, some chains refused to revise prices downward, instead expanding loyalty programs. As a result, gasoline on average became cheaper by 50 kopecks–1 hryvnia per liter, diesel — by up to 1 UAH/l, autogas — in some cases by up to 1.30 UAH/l.
The cheaper liquefied gas is also due to the lower wholesale prices and a favorable ratio between wholesale and retail. In the first twelve days of May, the difference between these prices for gas exceeded 5.5 UAH/l, which gave networks room for flexible tariff adjustments.
With diesel fuel, the picture is different: operators compensate for losses on gasoline margins through a wider gap between wholesale and retail prices for diesel.
