In August, the price of petrol in the Azores had risen by just 0.4 cents per litre, after remaining unchanged in July.
Between February and June, the price of petrol rose by 12.3 cents in the region, after a drop of 18.6 cents in the previous four months.
The price of diesel, on the other hand, has stabilised again after rising by 4.3 cents per litre in August.
Between April and July, the price of diesel only changed once in June, with a drop of three cents, after having risen by 3.6 cents in the previous two months.
Butane gas sold in bottles, piped or in bulk also remained the same, varying between 1.348 euros per kilogram (in bulk) and 1.618 euros per kilogram (24-litre bottle, made of lightweight materials, sold to the public at the point of consumption).
The maximum prices of petroleum and energy products in the Azores are "changed on the 1st of each month and in amounts equivalent to the variation in the monthly European Price (PE)".
On 5 June, the Azorean government increased the Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products (ISP) by 2.7 cents on petrol and 10 cents on diesel.
“Without prejudice to the policy of stability that we intend to continue to promote in the retail prices of fuels, it is important to introduce improvements to the pricing system in force in the Autonomous Region of the Azores”, he explained.
ISP is charged at 49.2 cents per litre for petrol and 34.2 cents for diesel.
In March 2023, the Azorean government had already increased the ISP rate by 10 cents, justifying the decision with “a trend towards normalisation of fuel prices on the world market, to values similar to those prior to the geopolitical crisis caused by the war in Ukraine”.
In August 2022, the ISP in the Azores had been reduced by nine cents for petrol and 11.3 cents for diesel.
The Azorean executive had already reduced the ISP by four cents on gasoline and two cents on diesel, in November 2021, and by 11 cents on both fuels, in April 2022.