ST. CROIX — The weekly fuel survey issued by the Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs now includes the wholesale rack rates exclusive on St. Croix to provide greater transparency for consumers after recent discussions with Sol Petroleum, the distributor of fuel from the rack at Ocean Point Terminals, according to a DLCA official.
Matthew Padgett, DLCA director of Consumer Affairs, said the department previously included the rack rates in its weekly fuel surveys when the distributor was Gulf Oil. After Sol Petroleum took over distribution from the rack a little over a year ago, he said the contract was not clear on what could or could not be included.
“We just had a meeting with them a little while ago, and we cleared up some of the unknowns from the contract on what information was proprietary and what information could be disseminated,” he said, adding that Sol Petroleum was supportive of DLCA including the rack rates in the weekly fuel surveys.
The inclusion of rack rates aims to give consumers a clearer picture of fuel pricing on St. Croix, where the rack is located.
“There are a couple retailers that do get fuel from Puerto Rico through other distributors besides the rack, but most of the fuel sold in St. Croix comes from the rack,” Padgett said. “The same can’t be said for St. Thomas and St. John. Unfortunately, all of that fuel is shipped in, so the rack rate is really irrelevant to the district of St. Thomas/St. John.”
Padgett emphasized that the fuel price survey inclusive of the rack rates aims to show what St. Croix retailers pay for fuel, excluding delivery fees that can vary significantly.
“This is mostly for the district of St. Croix since Sol Petroleum doesn’t distribute in the St. Thomas/St. John District as of right now, but it’s important that people see what the local fuel retailers are actually paying for the fuel,” he said.
DLCA released its fuel survey findings today for the week of November 24, including the Sol Petroleum wholesale rack rates; average self-service fuel prices for regular, premium, and diesel on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John; and the gas stations on each island with the lowest prices.
The fuel survey findings for this week show the rack rates for regular fuel at $2.53, premium fuel at $2.67, and diesel fuel at $2.77.
The self-service fuel price survey findings for this week show the average price on St. Croix for regular fuel at $3.996 per gallon, with the lowest price of $3.949 per gallon at Fill & Chill Service Station on Centerline Road in Estate Lower Love.
The average price for premium fuel on St. Croix was $4.397 per gallon, with the lowest price of $4.199 per gallon at Titan, Five Corners, G Max, One Love (Golden Rock), Budget, Island Petroleum, and Pit Stop service stations.
The average price for diesel fuel on St. Croix was $4.629 per gallon, with the lowest price of $3.999 per gallon at Titan, Falcon, and G Max service stations.
The average price for regular fuel on St. Thomas was $4.840 per gallon, with the lowest price of $4.699 per gallon at 1st Stop, Giant Gas Station, Home Town, Ali Baba Service Station, Petrus Frenchtown, and Race Track Gas Station.
The average price for premium fuel on St. Thomas was $5.369 per gallon, with the lowest price of $5.199 per gallon at 1st Stop, 1st Stop Frydenhoj, Giant Gas Station, Home Town, Ali Baba, Race Track, and Race Track East.
The average price for diesel fuel on St. Thomas was $5.912 per gallon, with the lowest price of $5.799 per gallon at 1st Stop, 1st Stop Frydenhoj, Giant Gas Station, and Race Track East.
The average price for regular fuel on St. John was $4.779 per gallon, with the lowest price of $4.769 per gallon at Race Track.
The average price for premium fuel on St. John was $5.014 per gallon, with the lowest price of $4.999 per gallon at Race Track.
The average price for diesel fuel on St. John was $5.529 per gallon, with the lowest price of $5.499 per gallon at Midway Gas Station.
