CAIRO: In a meeting with key figures in the energy production and marketing sector, Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmy stressed the need to monitor the local energy consumption level. Strict monitoring measures, he said, were meant to prevent the excessive consumption of cheap 80-octane gasoline. According to a ministry statement, the consumption of 80-octane gasoline had reached 45 percent of the total gasoline consumption in Egypt, representing a 37 percent increase in the second half of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. At LE 0.90 per liter, 80-octane is vital for lower income Egyptians who cannot afford the more expensive 90, 92 and 95-octane gasoline. In May, the government had increased the price of 90-octane from LE 1.30 to LE 1.75 per liter, 92-octane from LE 1.40 to LE 1.85 per liter and 95-octane from LE 1.75 to LE 2.75 per liter while maintaining the price of 80-ctane gasoline. Soon after the price hikes, citizens began complaining of the dearth of the cheaper option, many claiming the birth of a black market where 80-octane gasoline is sold for LE 1.25 per liter. It is also rumored that in gas stations where it is available, consumers are illegally charged an extra percentage of their bill amount. However at a Co-op gas station in Dokki, an elderly station worker says that high demand is the reason behind shortages of 80-octane gasoline. "In crowded areas, cheap gas is guzzled up quickly. But in places that are less crowded, it is more available. The current crisis has, however, taken its toll on people like Khaled, a taxi driver and father of four who says that finding 80-octane gasoline in Cairo has become a daily challenge. Cairo's chronically overcrowded streets don't help either, he says. "Every time we stop, we are still burning gas, says Khaled. "Sometimes drivers have to wait for hours to fill up. "It has nothing to do with crowded areas, he says. "I was just at the Cairo-Alexandria desert road and there was no 80-octane. It's the lower income drivers who have to bare the brunt of being forced to buy the more expensive types. As he drove off from Dokki, Khaled rolled down the window and asked another taxi driver where the nearest gas station with 80-octane was. "It's in Giza, he shouted back.
