Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority fined oil retailers 112.4 million Turkish Liras in 2015's first quarter due to illegitimate oil retailing activities, Mustafa Yilmaz, the head of EMRA said Thursday in a press release.
Yilmaz said in the press release that the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority, EMRA, conducted inspections via accredited laboratories' fuel analysis to halt the placement of smuggled fuel on the market.
EMRA inspections not only involved the detection of smuggled fuel but also fuel which was not compliant with set standards. Out of the 392 samples taken, 310 were found to be substandard, the press release said.
In addition to the penalties imposed on oil retailers, fines in the sum of 21 million Turkish Liras were imposed for failing to comply with regulations in the LPG market.Â
According to Yilmaz, a fuel analysis device is used to detect the quality of the fuel and also spots if it contains a national marker to reveal its origins. The National Marker Analysis devices - XP - were developed by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TUBITAK and came into effect in 2007.Â
In the first quarter of 2015, 23,696 surveys were conducted. Out of the total surveys, 22,685 tests were deemed valid and 1,011 samples were invalid.
Yilmaz added that EMRA put the electricity and natural gas market under the scope and fined 3.5 million Turkish Liras in the electricity market and 439 thousand Turkish Liras in the natural gas market.
By Muhsin Baris Tiryakioglu
Anadolu Agency