Cost of diesel, home heating fuel up in surprise price change

The cost of diesel fuel and home heating oil is up across Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday, a day ahead of the regulatory board's usual weekly changes to the prices of fuels in the province.

The Public Utilities Board deviated from its usual weekly schedule prices usually change on Thursdays because of what it calls a "significant upward shift"in the benchmark prices used to set maximum prices. A release from the board says the increase is considered "extraordinary" and warranted the early adjustment.

The price of diesel is up sixcents per litre in the province. A litre of diesel now costs $2.13on the Avalon Peninsula and is more than $2.20 in other parts of the province, including Churchill Falls, where it costs $2.23 per litre.

Furnace oil also rose 6.33 cents per litre to $1.46 on the northeast Avalon and costs at least $1.50 per litreinparts of central and western Newfoundland, not including taxes. At $1.50 a litre, a standard 950-litre oil tank now costs over $1,600, including tax.

Stove oil increased by 5.53 cents per litre. The price of gasoline and propane weren'tchanged Wednesday, but the PUB says the regular weekly price-setting will happen Thursday.

The prices last changed on Saturday, the third straight day of changes, two of them interruptions to the PUB's usual schedule.

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