Egypt’s fuel imports bill reduced by 9% due to decrease consumption of power plants, vehicles, and demand in general during the winter months when compared to the warmer summer season, reported Al Borsa.

A source from the petroleum sector stated that fuel consumption level decreases in winter as power plants did not need the same amounts of diesel and mazut. It also decreases as benzene consumption drops because drivers stop using air conditioners in their vehicles.

According to a previous reported issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, local market demands were estimated at 500,000 tons of diesel, 300,000 tons of butane, 150,000 tons of benzene, and 500,000 tons of mazut.

In November, an official with the petroleum sector had stated to Egypt Oil&Gas that Egypt imports bill for petroleum derivatives including benzene, diesel and mazut, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG), had reached EGP 13b a month. He had added that the government’s petroleum unpaid crisis will decrease from EGP 6b per month to EGP 3.5b per month after the current increase in pump prices.