The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said that clearances of marked gas oil, or green diesel, in October 2024 were 18% higher when compared to the same month a year previously.
The latest data published today (Thursday, December 5) shows that excise clearances of green diesel stood at 99 million litres in the month, up from 84 million litres in October 2023.
According to the CSO, clearances reflect the duty paid on oil removed from bonded warehouses. The data provides “a proxy for sales”, but do not reflect actual consumption.
The CSO notes that marked gas oil is primarily used for off-road purposes such as agriculture and the heating of larger buildings.
CSO
The figures shows that excise clearances of unleaded petrol in October 2024 stood at 92 million litres, which is 9% higher than the same month in 2023 with a total of 84 million litres.
The CSO said that this was the highest volume of unleaded petrol clearances recorded for the month of October since 2018.
Excise clearances of auto diesel in October 2024 were recorded at 306 million litres, 1% higher than the October 2023 figure of 301 million litres.
The wholesale prices of auto diesel and unleaded petrol in October 2024 were lower than in October 2023 and October 2022.
Excise clearances of kerosene, mainly used as a home heating fuel, in October 2024 were 110 million litres, an increase of 20% compared with the October 2023 figure of 92 million litres.
In the first 10 months of 2024, kerosene excise clearances were 9% higher and unleaded petrol excise clearances increased by 6%, compared with the same period in 2023.
Commenting on the data, Deirdre Moran, statistician in the CSO Climate and Energy Division, said:
“Auto diesel clearances were 1.2% lower in the first 10 months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.
“They were 1.4% lower when comparing the 12-month rolling period of November 2023-October 2024 with November 2022-October 2023.
“Unleaded petrol clearances were 5.7% higher in the first 10 months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.
“They were 5.6% higher when comparing the 12-month rolling period of November 2023-October 2024 with November 2022-October 2023.”