The amount is more than 10% higher than in 2016, reflecting an increase in volume and price hikes operated last year.
Starting from the reports published by OMV Petrom, the leader of the local market, which has both Petrom-branded and OMV-branded stations, fuel demand was 4.5% higher in the first quarter of 2017 on the year-earlier period. Demand rose by 8% and 9% in volume in the following two quarters, according to the latest available data.
Fuel consumption stood at 6 to 6.5 million tons, according to ZF estimates, with diesel accounting for two thirds of it.
In all, Romania has 2,100 gas stations, according to the statistics of Fuels Europe, an organization of more than 43 European oil companies. The statistics used the 2016 data collected from the national associations in Romania’s oil industry.
The number puts Romania on the 15th place in the EU, behind countries like Bulgaria and Czech Republic.
Romania has about 500 to 600 independent gas stations at the moment, or 25% to 30% of the market by number. Their sales account for no more than 10% of the volume.
The top four companies in the fuel retail accounted for 80% of the total revenue of the operators in this business in 2016.
OMV Petrom Marketing, Rompetrol Downstream, Lukoil Romania and MOL Romania Petroleum Products posted RON32.7 billion revenue in 2016, according to the latest available data.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)