Diesel to Average $2.60 in Fourth Quarter, DOE Says
Diesel will average $2.60 in the fourth quarter, down slightly from the August-September average of $2.63, the Department of Energy said in its monthly short-term energy outlook.
Trucking’s main fuel will average $2.78 a gallon next year, down a dime from last month’s projection, DOE said.
Gasoline will drop to $2.44 in the current fourth quarter, 12 cents below the $2.56 the department projected in last month’s outlook.
Diesel averaged $3.80 last year, peaking at a record $4.764 on July 14, 2008, while gasoline averaged $3.26, setting a single-week record $4.114 per gallon on July 7, 2008.
In its latest weekly survey released Monday, diesel averaged $2.582 — down 1.9 cents from the previous week and the fifth straight decline.
Gasoline fell 3.1 cents to $2.582, marking its eighth straight decline, DOE had said Monday.
Oil will average about $70 per barrel from October through March, a $19 increase over last winter. Oil prices will rise gradually to about $75 per barrel by December 2010, DOE said.
Last month DOE had projected oil would average $69 in the second half of this year. August and early September prices hovered between $67 and $74.
