Petrol prices are nearing all-time highs in many countries around the world as surging demand and supply shortages send global oil prices to a near three-year high.
In 2001, the global average price of petrol was about $0.60 a litre, and filling an average family sedan cost about $30. Today it is $1.20 – $30 will buy you half a tank.
High fuel prices are part of a global energy crunch that has led to big disruptions across China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Petrol and diesel prices have also spiked in several countries including India and South Africa.
As of September 2021, Hong Kong has the most expensive petrol in the world at $2.56 per litre ($11.63 per gallon) followed by the Netherlands – $2.18 ($9.91 per gallon) and the Central African Republic – $2.14 ($9.72 per gallon). High taxes largely contribute to the high cost at the pump.
The countries with the cheapest petrol include mostly oil-rich countries including Venezuela at $0.02 ($0.09 per gallon), Iran – $0.06 ($0.27 per gallon) and Syria – $0.23 ($1.04 per gallon) according to globalpetrolprices.com.
How crude oil becomes petrol
Petrol, diesel and various other fuels are made from crude oil – a yellowish-black fossil fuel that is pumped out of the ground. Many household products including plastics, detergents and clothing are also derived from the non-renewable resource.
Higher crude prices have a knock-on effect on several industries, from transport all the way through to manufacturing.
Crude oil is graded according to thickness (heavy, intermediate and light) and sulfur content (sweet – low sulfur, sour- high sulfur). Light, sweet crude oil is the highest grade. It is easier and cheaper to refine, making it the most sought after.
Brent and WTI are the global benchmarks for light, sweet crude oil. Brent is drilled out of the North Sea between the UK and Norway while WTI (West Texas Intermediate) is sourced from US oil fields.
Once the oil has been extracted and transported to various oil refineries, it must be heated in a furnace then distilled into various fuels and products. Lighter products including liquid petroleum gases require lower temperatures to extract while the heaviest products including asphalt are extracted at much higher temperatures.
How the price of petrol has changed (2001-2021)
The price of petrol at the pump depends on various factors, including the price of crude oil, transport costs, state taxes and distribution costs.
In 2001, Brent crude was trading for about $25 a barrel. One barrel is equivalent to 42 gallons or approximately 159 litres.
At its peak in 2008, Brent cost some $140 a barrel before crashing down to $45 after the global financial crisis, which destroyed demand for energy.
In April 2020, the price of oil once again plummeted to record lows as the COVID pandemic swept the globe, prompting nationwide lockdowns and very weak demand.
By September 2021, surging demand coupled with supply shortages has sent crude prices to a near three-year high at approximately $80 per barrel. Analysts at Goldman Sachs expect Brent crude to hit $90 a barrel by the end of the year.
OPEC members’ oil reserves
Central to the world’s oil production is OPEC – the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Established in Baghdad, Iraq in 1960, this multinational organisation comprises 13 nations that collectively possess about 80 percent of the world’s proven crude oil reserves.
OPEC member countries produce about 40 percent of the world’s crude oil and represent some 60 percent of the total petroleum traded internationally, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.
OPEC sees oil demand returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and expects output to grow by 1.7 million barrels per day in 2023.
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves at 303,806 million barrels followed by Saudi Arabia with 258,600 million and Iran with 208,600 million according to OPEC’s 2020 annual statistical bulletin.
Which countries have the most oil?
Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran have half of the world’s 1.55 trillion barrels of proven oil reserves. The largest reserves among non-OPEC countries include Russia (80,000 million barrels) and the US (52,637 million barrels).
In 2019, the world consumed 99.7 million barrels of oil per day (mbpd) according to the International Energy Agency. The US alone consumes about one-fifth (20.48 mbpd) of the world’s daily oil consumption followed by China (13.07 mbpd) and India (4.84 mbpd).
According to OPEC’s Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo, oil will retain its number one position in the global energy mix, providing 28 percent of global energy needs by 2045.
HALIFAX – Ottawa is negotiating a $500-million bailout for Nova Scotia’s privately owned electric utility, saying the money will be used to prevent a big spike in electricity rates.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement today in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia Power Inc. needs the money to cover higher costs resulting from the delayed delivery of electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric plant in Labrador.
Wilkinson says that without the money, the subsidiary of Emera Inc. would have had to increase rates by 19 per cent over “the short term.”
Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the deal, once approved by the province’s energy regulator, will keep rate increases limited “to be around the rate of inflation,” as costs are spread over a number of years.
The utility helped pay for construction of an underwater transmission link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but the Muskrat Falls project has not been consistent in delivering electricity over the past five years.
Those delays forced Nova Scotia Power to spend more on generating its own electricity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
