Consumption of fuel increased 29% in the first two months of the year, despite the 20% price increase in October 1999. The increase in consumption makes things worse for the government because it comes at a time when world market prices are extraordinarily high. It means the government will need more dollars to pay for the country’s fuel bill. El Siglo newspaper reports that the Refinería Dominicana de Petróleo dispatched 5,420,600 barrels of fuel in January and February. This was 1,220,100 barrels more than for the same period in 1999. There has been a 14.5% increase in regular non-leaded fuel. The more expensive premium unleaded fuel dropped 4.4%, reflecting the fact that many consumers have switched to regular gasoline. The increase in consumption can be attributed to the increase in cars in circulation, December is a big car sales month, and the increase in blackouts that occurred from January to February. Blackout periods force businesses and residences to spend more on fuel to power their generators.
