Fuel retailers are required to pay a stockpiling fee of 4.60 euros per 1,000 litres of petrol sold, 3.70 euros per 1,000 litres of diesel fuel sold, and 7 euros per 1,000 litres of jet fuel sold. The stockpiling fee for heavy fuel oil is calculated at a rate of 3.7 euros per 1,000 kilogrammes of heavy fuel oil sold.
According to Priit Enok, member of the board of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency, the average annual sales volumes will remain unchanged and the agency forecasts that the total volume of motor fuels covered by the stockpiling fee will amount to 1.32 billion litres next year.
“Statistically, each Estonian resident consumes approximately 1,000 litres of motor fuel per year. ESPA uses the money from the stockpiling fee to cover the costs of managing the state’s liquid fuel reserves, including storage, insurance, inspection, and quality control. Nearly 90 per cent of the costs are incurred by ordering storage services from market participants,” explained Enok.
Pursuant to the Liquid Fuel Stocks Act, the payer of the excise duty has the obligation to pay the stockpiling fee when motor gasoline, diesel fuel, light heating oil, heavy fuel oil, kerosene, or jet fuel is released for consumption.
For the end user of fuels, the stockpiling fee for motor gasoline and diesel fuel is included in the price of fuel at the gas station, and this amount is not indicated separately on the sales receipt. The owner of a private car with an average mileage pays an annual stockpiling fee of around 7 euros on the amount of fuel purchased.
The strategic 90-day liquid fuel stocks of Estonia are intended to ensure the security of supply, security, and subsistence of the population of the country, as well as to meet the commitments undertaken under international treaties. In addition, our fuel companies have significant commercial reserves of every type of fuel.
According to the Estonian Stockpiling Agency, the supply of different types of motor fuels to the Estonian market is at a good level.
