this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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Fuel prices halved during covid when everyone stayed home.
All the infrastructure is in place, the fuel needs to be sold.
Reduced demand will only reduce production of fuel from more expensive wells, like where the oil is more difficult to reach.
Yeah but nobody retired a marginally profitable fuel refinery that became unprofitable during covid because they knew demand would return soon. The effect isn't instantaneous, but all the infrastructure has operation and maintenance costs. With fewer overall consumers all the overhead has to go somewhere eventually.
Yeah, but I think you might be waiting longer than you imagine.
There might be a long tail of barely profitable wells with low output, but I suspect the vast majority of current production can sustain a significant reduction in retail price and still be more profitable than simply capping the well.
Every person that switches to an EV increases the demand for electricity and reduces the demand for fuel.