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Fuel quality in 2021
< poprzedni | następny > 15.04.2022
- The Trade Inspection questioned 1.72 per cent of liquid fuel samples checked last year. This is marginally less than in 2020 (1.88 per cent).
- Irregularities were less frequently found in petrol than diesel oil.
- Current inspection results are available on the UOKiK website and, since last year, you can also check fuel quality in the Yanosik navigation application.
The Trade Inspection checked several types of liquid fuels available on the market. These include diesel oil, petrol, LPG and biofuels. The first checks we carried out in 2003 revealed that as many as 30% of the samples taken did not meet the quality requirements. In subsequent years, irregularities decreased and traders became more careful about the fuel they sell. The amount of the penalties they could receive for marketing illegal fuel was also not without significance. As a result, the level of irregularities has remained below 4 per cent since 2016.
"As a result of monitoring the Polish liquid fuel market, its quality has been improving year by year. The detected irregularities have been oscillating at a level below 4 per cent for several years now. Despite the systematic nature of inspections, the percentage of fuels not meeting quality requirements varies from year to year. It results from various factors, such as the number of businesses inspected and samples taken or the changing quality requirements. In 2021, only less than 2 per cent of petrol and diesel oil samples collected at petrol stations failed to meet the quality standards. Irregularities were less frequently found in petrol than diesel oil" states Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.
How is an inspection conducted?
The quality of liquid fuels is controlled in two ways. Firstly, the President of UOKiK randomly selects stations for inspection by the relevant regional Trade Inspection authorities – it appears that this method most accurately reflects the actual picture of fuel quality in Poland. Secondly, the IH checks businesses against which there have been complaints, about which it received information from law enforcement, or in which it has previously found irregularities. We inspect fuel producers, wholesalers, as well as entrepreneurs running petrol stations and warehouses.
Inspections in 2021
In 2021, inspectors of the Trade Inspection took a total of 1,565 samples of liquid fuels for testing at stations and wholesalers, of which 779 samples were petrol and 786 samples were diesel oil. 27 samples failed laboratory tests (22 samples of diesel oil, 5 samples of petrol), constituting 1.72 per cent of the samples tested. The percentage of questioned fuel samples varied significantly between voivodeships. During random inspections at fuel stations, we found the highest number of irregularities in the following voivodeships: Kujawsko-Pomorskie (3.17%), Warmińsko-Mazurskie (2.22%) and Pomorskie (1.59%). However, in the case of inspections of entrepreneurs selected, for example, on the basis of information acquired from the Police or drivers, we found the highest number of irregularities in the Śląskie (14.58 per cent), Opolskie (14.29 per cent), Warmińsko-Mazurskie (11.54 per cent) and Kujawsko-Pomorskie (10 per cent) voivodeships.
As part of the LPG inspection, inspectors took 345 samples and questioned only one of them (0.34 per cent). They did not find any irregularities during inspections of wholesalers. The quality control of light fuel oil was successful – all samples met the quality requirements established in the regulation (similarly to the inspections performed in 2013-2020).
Parameters questioned
The number of irregularities associated with the excessive sulfur content – for both diesel oil and petrol – has been low for several years.
Activities of the Trade Inspection
The Trade Inspection issued 6 decisions to withdraw fuels that do not meet the relevant standards from the market and provided the President of the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) with information on 23 cases of non-compliance with the terms of liquid fuel trading licences and provisions of the Energy Law. The President of URE may impose a financial penalty on entrepreneurs who violate the terms of their licences by selling fuel of improper quality.
IH also handed over 23 notices of suspected crimes to the locally competent regional prosecutors. The current legislation provides for severe penalties for trading in poor quality fuel – a fine of up to PLN 1 million or imprisonment for 3 months to 5 years. The inspectors also forwarded the check results to the appropriate services – the National Revenue Administration and the Police. The President of UOKiK has initiated 14 administrative proceedings (including 5 concerning inspections carried out in 2020) and issued 15 decisions (including 6 concerning inspections performed in 2020). In addition, in May and June 2021, he presented reports on fuel quality in Poland in 2020 to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers.
For consumers
We would like to remind consumers that they can check the quality of fuel available at stations inspected by UOKiK. This information is available in the form of a fuel map located on the Office's website. Moreover, Neptis has integrated data from inspections performed by UOKiK into its Yanosik navigation application. Stations that have passed quality inspection can be verified in the application.
"The purpose of inspecting fuels available at petrol stations is to ensure that they are of the highest quality and safe for use by consumers and entrepreneurs. We encourage everyone who is interested in this topic – journalists, portals but also navigation applications to use the data obtained during our activities. The results of inspections are available to the public and updated on an ongoing basis," claims Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.
If, when refuelling, the pump indicates an amount of fuel several litres greater than the capacity of your vehicle tank, contact the Central Office of Measures. Inspectors of the Office of Measures may check the designated station and verify whether the pump gauge shows the correct amount of fuel filled.
See the full report on the 2021 fuel inspections.
Consumer support:
Phone No. 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 – consumer hotline
Email: porady@dlakonsumentow.pl
Consumer Ombudsmen – in your town or county
Trade Inspection – in your voivodeship
Additional information for the media:
Press Office of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone: 22 55 60 246
Email: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL
You can also find us on Instagram: @uokikgovpl
Pliki do pobrania
- Press release (124,85 KB, docx, 2022.04.15)
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