Fuel companies fined by Turkey's energy watchdog

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Tukey’s energy watchdog EPDK has imposed fines on many companies and canceled licenses of some that acted against the regulation. It has imposed $47.9 million of fine to Eropet’s fuel distributors at one time. DAILY NEWS photo

Turkey’s energy watchdog EPDK imposed fines on many companies and canceled licenses of some that acted against the regulation, according to its decisions declared in the Official Gazette Dec. 22.

Fines imposed on the fuel companies by the EPK reached around 100 million Turkish Liras. While the energy watchdog imposed 98 million liras ($47.9 million) of fine to Eropet’s fuel distributors at one time, it imposed 37.2 million liras fine to Raman Akaryakıt’s 51 distributors.

According to the announcement, the EPDK decided to impose fine to Eropet because the company didn’t establish an automation system to monitor sales operation of its 133 fuel stations, its contracted-vendors, on electronic environment every day. The EPDK gave 739,666 liras fine for each vendor, totaling 98.3 million liras fine to Eropet.

Meram that also didn’t establish an automation system at the 25 fuel companies to monitor their activities didn’t make

any notification and make any defense in the determined period received 18.5 million liras fine in total.
Raman Akaryakıt that has 51 fuel distributors but also didn’t create an automation system and didn’t make a defense received 37.7 million liras fine by the EPDK.

License revocation

Marpet that didn’t establish an automation system to monitor its four fuel distributors was imposed 2.9 million liras. The company also didn’t fulfill its obligation to notify the situation and didn’t make its defense in the determined period.

Some companies’ licenses were canceled due to reasons such as not presenting capacity reports to the EPDK or not employing a manager. These fuel companies also received fines.

Turkey’s energy watchdog EPDK asked all fuel oil companies to slash their prices in August. The EPDK told the companies’ executives that the vendors and distributors had a 0.5-lira share in diesel oil and 0.4-lira share in gas and their prices were 0.1-0.15 liras higher than the Mediterranean’s, according to an executive. Executives reportedly responded that the vendors and distributors had only a share of 0.4 liras (40 kuruş) on gas that cost 4.8 liras ($2.4) per liter.

Fuel companies cut the prices between 2 to 6 kuruş in response to a request by Turkey’s energy watchdog to adapt prices with international levels.