Many are concerned that the extra 5-cents per litre on gasoline imposed by the Public Utilities Board, at the request of North Atlantic Refining is going to stick.
The plan is to convert the former oil refinery into a producer of renewable diesel and aviation fuel using biofuels from feedstock, such as cooking oils and animal fat.
North Atlantic maintains a minority stake in the operation, which will no longer refine gasoline, leaving some to wonder why the 5 cents still applies as North Atlantic sought the additional revenue to cover the expense of importing fuel.
Energy Critic Lloyd Parrott says the other two importers – Esso and Irving – have never asked for additional money to cover costs associated with importation.
The PC Party wrote the P.U.B. and Parrott says the board clearly stated that Esso and Irving were not part of that application for 5 cents a litre – only North Atlantic.
He says the refinery has been shut down numerous times in the past.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister Andrew Parsons notes that government is not part of that process – it’s left up to the independent regulator, the PUB.
If the refinery deal fell part and we had no refinery, he says we’d still be sitting here with that 5 cents because it’s the reality of having to import fuel into the province.
The price of gas in this province is the highest in the country – about 5 cents per litre more than British Columbia.