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