News
Energy statistics show fall in oil production
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has published the figures in Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices, publications which give statistics on energy production and consumption.
Overall primary demand for oil products in the first quarter of 2012 was also 1.3 per cent lower than last year.
However, when the figures were seasonally adjusted and temperature corrected, it found that oil consumption rose by 1.4 per cent.
Sales of motor spirit and DERV in the first quarter of 2012 increased by 2.6 per cent and 4.5 percent respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2011. This reflects the increased demand in March, when the UK reacted to a potential tanker drivers strike.
In mid June 2012, a litre of unleaded petrol was on average 132.0 pence per litre, 3.6 pence lower than a year earlier, and 9.7 pence lower than the high reached in April 2012. At the same time, diesel was on average 137.7 pence per litre, 1.9 pence lower than a year earlier, and 10.1 pence below the peak seen in April.
In May, the UK retail price for petrol was ranked fourth highest in the EU and UK diesel prices were the highest in the EU.
In the domestic sector, the price of heating oils rose by 4.1 per cent between Q1 2011 and Q1 2012 and by 3.4 per cent between Q4 2011 and Q1 2012.
www.decc.gov.uk