The widening gap between Britain’s demand for diesel fuel and the amount it can produce is leaving drivers “at the mercy of the global market”, according to a new report.
A study by the RAC Foundation, titled Readdressing the Balance between Petrol and Diesel Demand, found that diesel use has risen 76 per cent over the past 20 years and it’s twice as popular as petrol.
The report also estimates that around 45 per cent of the UK’s diesel is provided by foreign suppliers, whereas the UK is a net exporter of petrol, which brings in an estimated £26 billion a year.
According to the RAC Foundation’s study, the reliance on imports is partly down to the declining number of diesel refineries, which fell from nine in 2009 to just six today.
Some of the older refineries have since also been configured to produce petrol rather than diesel, while retrofitting production facilities to produce diesel instead of petrol is hugely expensive.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “That leaves us at the mercy of the global market and much of the rest of Europe is in the same boat. We are having to look further and further afield for the fuel we need.
“Recently motorists have benefited from falling forecourt prices. We should be concerned about the potential for things to go the other way."
Data from the report notes that the number of diesel cars on UK roads has soared from 1.6 million in the mid-90s to 11 million in 2014, with diesel cars predicted to outsell petrol four times over by 2030.
In total, Britain consumes twice as much diesel as it produces, meaning that growing reliance on countries like Russia and India to supply the fuel could see prices driven up.
“Even if we are not in conflict with those countries that control the taps, they might simply decide they need more of what they produce for their own markets,” Mr Gooding added.
“If supply is interrupted, then at best we'll see sharp rises in forecourt prices and, at worst, there is the unlikely but real possibility of pumps running dry.”