Portugal's ERSE to Conduct Detailed Fuel‑Price Study After Minister's Request

Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho sent a letter to the President of the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) asking for a comprehensive study on road fuel prices. The minister wants to know whether retail prices at Portuguese stations have kept pace with recent declines in international oil, diesel and gasoline quotations, and has set a 20‑day deadline for the regulator to deliver the analysis, which should cover at least the last 24 months and break down the price components.

ERSE confirmed receipt of the request and reiterated that it already monitors fuel prices permanently through weekly supervision reports, comparing posted prices, discounted prices and the "efficient price" it calculates. The regulator said it will use its continuous data collection to prepare the study and will act if any irregularities are identified.

The Portuguese fuel industry association (Epcol) responded that the minister’s demand duplicates work the regulator already performs, describing it as a redundancy. Epcol’s spokesperson emphasized that ERSE’s weekly oversight has not revealed any serious market distortions and that any proposal to set exceptional maximum margins would be a remote and only applicable under the law if repeated abuses were found. The association of fuel retailers (ANAREC) added that the advertised price at stations often differs from the actual amount paid by consumers because of discounts, loyalty cards and promotional campaigns, meaning the effective price is usually below the calculated efficient price.