Eni and IP’s fixed prices come into force, amid protests from small operators

Today marks the start of the 30-day period of fixed fuel prices (€2.19 for diesel and €1.99 for petrol, around 17 cents less than current average levels) introduced by Eni, with the possibility of an extension until the end of the year. The company has described the initiative as “a new gesture of solidarity towards the country, consumers and its own customers”, receiving thanks from Palazzo Chigi for this “commendable act of consideration for Italy, which goes in the desired direction of curbing high fuel prices which, due to the difficult international situation, are affecting Italian families”.

Eni’s decision was echoed by Socar, the Azerbaijani state-owned company which finalised the acquisition of IP from the Api Group last May. Yesterday, the energy company set a cap on fuel prices to “reinforce our commitment to Italy”, and announced that “the most effective ways to extend the scheme to Esso-branded petrol stations and other operators in the supply chain that source their supplies from IP will be explored”. The announcement was welcomed by Giorgia Meloni, who, in a post on X, thanked the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, “for this gesture of goodwill that strengthens our cooperation”, and the Chairman of Socar, Rovshan Najaf.

Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani also expressed his satisfaction with the price cap, stating in an interview with Il Messaggero that “Forza Italia’s position has prevailed: no tax on windfall profits, but the involvement of oil companies, which can make a substantial contribution to helping households and businesses free themselves from the burden of high petrol and diesel prices” and “I now hope that all other oil companies will follow suit”.

To tackle the energy crisis and soaring prices at a structural level, the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and the Minister for Enterprise, Adolfo Urso, have called a meeting for Thursday 8 October with companies operating in the refining sector and those producing goods and derived products. In an interview with Qn, Urso explained that “if the measures taken by Eni and Ip prove effective in capping fuel prices, we will only implement targeted measures, such as those affecting road haulage”. According to calculations by Adusbef, a consumer protection association, the price cap set by Eni will result in an average saving of 9.35 euros on a full tank of diesel and 8.45 on a full tank of petrol.

However, the initiative by Eni and Ip has sparked protests from petrol station operators belonging to Figisc, the federation of service station operators affiliated with Confcommercio. According to the organisation, the price cap adopted by the two companies could constitute unfair competition, as an operation of this scale is only feasible for large companies that own a vertically integrated supply chain from extraction to distribution, and would therefore exclude small operators from the market. Figisc is reportedly considering various courses of action in this regard, including an appeal to the Competition Authority.