Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi told the Malta Independent that he is not pleased with the way the diesel market is operating in Malta.

While not being satisfied with the current on goings in this area, he said that it is not within his remit to tackle this as Energy Minister. He said that an analysis by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority has made preliminary conclusions. “I trust in them and in their conclusions”.

“I want to see healthier competition as well as competition on pricing”.

A complaint had been filed a number of months ago, when petrol station owner claimed he chose not to cut the price of diesel by 2c as he intended, as his supplier pressured him into not reducing the. Reports read that the authority has issued a “Statement of Objections” in January, a procedure that kicks in whenever there is a proposed infringement decision.  This is a provisional decision that does not bind the Director General of the MCCAA, who has the final say as to whether an infringement occurred.

As for the petrol market, Enemed currently has a monopoly, however the Minister would also like to see competition in this area. He said that Enemed will be investing in a new storage facility that will be available to third parties to store their fuel.

Asked whether there were any who have shown interest in entering the sector, the minister said that there are people carrying out their own business analysis on entry into the petrol market, but he could not reveal who these are.

“There are multiple operators based on inquiries submitted to the MRA and Enemed. The only issue that exists is the relatively small market in Malta, so obviously they need to check viability.