The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said that only 7% of marked gas oil (green diesel) sales (81,000 litres) occurred through forecourts in 2023.
According to the Fuel Oil Movements 2023 report published today (Tuesday, November 26), 93% or 1 billion litres of green diesel was sold by “non-forecourt means”, including direct sales and home deliveries.
The findings are in line with the previous year when just over 7% of the 1.14 billion litres of green diesel sales took place in forecourts.
In 2023, the final fuel movements were 3.6 billion litres for autodiesel, 1 billion litres for unleaded petrol, 1.1 billion litres for marked gas oil, and 0.9 billion litres for kerosene.
The data shows that forecourt sales represented 77% of autodiesel sales in 2023 (2.8 billion litres), compared with 76% in 2022.
Forecourts accounted for 98% of unleaded petrol sales in 2023 (1 billion litres), compared with 97% in 2022
In 2023, 3% of kerosene sales were made in forecourts, with the vast majority from non-forecourt transactions.
Green diesel
Kevin Hunt, statistician in the CSO Climate and Energy Division, explained that the data is based on returns by mineral oil fuel traders to the Revenue Commissioners in 2023, tracking the transport of mineral oils.
“The release analyses the final movements of fuel oils in 2023, meaning the sales to final customers that mark the final point of the distribution chain,” he said.
Hunt noted that road transport fuels – autodiesel and unleaded petrol – were mainly sold in forecourts.
However, green diesel and kerosene were more likely to be sold through non-forecourt transactions directly to the final consumer.
“In 2023, non-forecourt transactions were 93% of marked gas oil sales and 97% of kerosene sales.
“Marked gas oil is primarily used for off-road purposes such as agriculture and the heating of larger buildings while kerosene is mainly used as a home heating fuel,” he said.