Auto diesel sales exceeded 3 billion litres in 2016

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Total sales of petroleum products amounted to 8.79 billion litres in 2016, which is a small decrease of 0.4 per cent or 36.4 million litres compared with 2015. Sales of auto diesel increased and sales of petrol decreased according to new figures for Sales of petroleum products.

Sales of auto diesel ended at 3.14 billion litres in 2016; an increase of 142 million (4.7 per cent) litres from the previous year. This is the first time that sales have exceeded 3 billion litres within a year. Meanwhile, petrol sales decreased by 22.5 million litres, giving total sales of 1.16 billion litres. In 2007, sales of auto diesel exceeded the sale of petrol for the first time, and this trend has continued.

Petrol sales diminish

In the last five years, there has been a steady decrease in petrol sales of between 60 to 90 million litres from one year to the next. From 2015 to 2016, sales decreased by 22.5 million litres, which is a far smaller reduction in sales than we have seen in the last five years.

Total sales of petrol and auto diesel ended at 4.3 billion litres in 2016; an increase of 119 million litres compared with the previous year. Combined, the two products amounted to 49 per cent of total sales of petroleum products in 2016. 

Biofuels

Biofuels are added to petrol and auto diesel. In 2016, this corresponded to 463.2 million litres. A total of 62.5 million litres of bioethanol was added to petrol, giving a biofuel share of 5.4 per cent. For auto diesel, 400.7 million litres of bio diesel was added, giving a biofuel share of 12.8 per cent.

Registered vehicles  

Figures from the statistics for Registered vehicles from Statistics Norway show that 48 per cent of all registered passenger cars were equipped with a diesel engine at the beginning of 2017. A total of 44 .9 per cent of cars used petrol as fuel.

Small increase in sales of fuel oils

In 2010, sales of fuel oils amounted to 552 million litres. In 2016, sales were reduced by 300 million litres. However, looking at the development from 2015 to 2016, sales increased for the first time since 2010. Sales increased by 6.7 million litres, which is equivalent to 2.7 per cent.

Sales of heating kerosene were 36.2 million litres in 2016, which is a reduction of 0.3 million litres or 0.9 per cent. Sales of fuel oil and heating kerosene make up a small part of the total sales of petroleum products. In 2016 they made up 3.3 per cent. 

Other petroleum products

In 2015, sales of heavy distillate and heavy oils more than halved compared with the previous year. The decrease continued in 2016. Sales ended at 115 million litres; 25 million litres less than in 2015.

Marine gas oils accounted for about 15 per cent of the total sales of petroleum products, and sales ended at 1.3 billion litres in 2016. This is 140 million litres less than 2015. Sales of jet kerosene ended at approximately 1.1 billion litres. This is a reduction of 36 million litres from 2015. Sales of jet kerosene accounted for 12.4 per cent of the total sales of petroleum products in 2016.

Figure 1. Deliveries of petroleum products in 2016

Other petroleum products¹ Lubricant oils Heavy fuel oil Jet fuel Heating and lighting kerosene Heating oils Marine gas oil and diesel Diesel, free of duty Auto diesel Motor gasoline
2009 780 69 618 790 69 460 1811 718 2339 1724
2010 848 63 549 969 81 552 1794 824 2524 1628
2011 795 70 509 1011 62 421 1856 841 2622 1489
2012 771 68 423 1082 47 357 1897 866 2730 1395
2013 545 71 397 1098 56 342 1745 921 2797 1307
2014 681 59 280 1171 39 247 1513 859 2901 1246
2015 706 49 139 1124 37 245 1477 880 2993 1177
2016 695 57 115 1088 36 252 1336 921 3135 1155

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