According to the monthly fuel market bulletin of the Energy Services Regulator (ERSE), "both the (average) retail prices of road fuels and bottled LPG and the introduction of fuel consumption in Portugal have increased, mainly due to the progressive survey of containment measures.

According to the regulator, "July saw the third consecutive month of increases in the PVP of 95 simple gasoline in 2020", ending "with the PVP on an increasing trend (+3.2 percent) compared to June", from 1.391 Euros per litre to 1.435 Euros/litre, "but still not reaching the March values (1.451 Euros/litre)".

"The biggest part of the PVP paid by the consumer corresponds to the taxes, that in gasoline represent approximately 65 percent of the total price", note.

Already in the case of the simple diesel, "the PVP registered the second increase since the beginning of 2020", going from 1,224 Euros/litre in June to 1,263 Euros/litre in July, finishing this month "with the PVP in increasing trend (+3.2 percent), putting it at values already registered in April".

Also on diesel "the biggest slice of the PVP paid by the consumer corresponds to the taxes, followed by the value of the international quotation and freight, which cumulatively represent more than 80 percent of the total invoice".

As for the average price of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Auto, it rose in July "for the first time this year by about 1.5 percent" - from 0.682 Euros/litre in June to 0.692 Euros/litre in July - not yet reaching the value of the increase suffered in January 2020.

According to the regulator, in all these fuels it was the hypermarkets that registered "the most competitive prices" (in 10 percent in the case of simple gasoline, in 11 percent in the case of diesel and in 15 percent in LPG Auto), followed by the 'low cost' (less 6 percent, 8 percent and 12 percent respectively).

In an analysis of the geographical variation of prices at a national level, ERSE concludes that, although the values are "little differentiated" (in more than half of the districts the difference in average prices per litre of fuel does not exceed five cents", in July "Aveiro and Castelo Branco registered the lowest diesel and gasoline prices" and "Beja and Bragança the most expensive".

"In July, the difference in value between the national average price and the average price in the Portuguese districts for 95 simple gasoline and diesel is generally higher in the districts of Bragança, Beja and Lisbon, and in these districts the most expensive road fuels continue to be found," he says.

According to the regulator, "Aveiro, Braga, Santarém, Castelo Branco and Coimbra are the districts with the cheapest gasoline and diesel in Continental Portugal".

In the case of bottled LPG (butane and propane), "Viana do Castelo, Vila Real and Portalegre registered, for mainland Portugal, the bottle with the lowest cost," while "Beja and Faro have the highest.

"In July, the difference in value between the average national price and the average price in the districts is more pronounced mainly in the south of Portugal, with bottled gas being more expensive especially in the districts of Faro, Beja, Setúbal, Lisbon and Coimbra," notes ERSE.

"Unlike the northern districts of the country, such as Viana do Castelo and Vila Real, have the cheapest LPG bottled prices", and the inland districts closest to Spain, such as Portalegre and Bragança, also have lower prices, with the exception of Évora, he adds.