Diesel to Average $3.92 This Year, DOE Says
Diesel fuel will average $3.92 a gallon this year, about equal to its current pump price, the Department of Energy said Tuesday.
Trucking’s main fuel, which averaged $3.97 a gallon last year, will slide to $3.89 in the second half of the year before falling to $3.76 next year, DOE said in its monthly short-term energy outlook.
The 2013 full-year diesel projection is up from last month’s $3.88, while the 2014 forecast matches July’s outlook.
Gasoline’s average price for the third quarter of this year will be $3.59 a gallon — matching its price for the first half of the year — before declining to $3.33 in this year’s fourth quarter.
The motor fuel, which averaged $3.63 a gallon last year, will average $3.37 next year, DOE said.
In its most recent weekly price survey of filling stations released Monday, DOE reported that both fuels dipped about a penny, with diesel at $3.909 and gasoline at $3.632.
DOE also boosted its 2013 crude oil forecast by more than $2 from last month’s outlook, to $96.96 a barrel. Oil will drop to $92.96 next year, the report said, up slightly from last month’s report.
