Papastavrou warns of measures if heating oil stays high

Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, in an interview given to Skai TV on Friday 11 September 2026, addressed the current trajectory of heating fuel prices. According to the minister, the price of heating oil stands at nearly 60 to 65% above the level recorded the same period last year. He linked this increase to international developments in energy, emphasizing that any continuation of the recent rise in prices would lead to new government decisions. “The price of heating oil is nearly 60–65% above last year. If there is no de-escalation, then you should expect the government as a whole to take some specific measures,” said Stavros Papastavrou. At the same time, the minister noted that consideration is being given to the possibility of continuing the measures that had been implemented in August and September for the price of petrol and diesel.

The minister’s statements come at a time when the government is attempting to manage the pressure on energy costs through a broader support plan. At the Thessaloniki International Fair in 2026, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had announced a support package of 2.2 billion euro for 2027, part of which concerns the energy sector. In parallel, ELSTAT had recorded inflation of 3.8% in August 2026, a figure that reflects the overall pressure on the cost of living to which the rise in heating oil prices adds weight. Stavros Papastavrou insisted that geopolitical developments lie behind much of the energy revaluation, something that limits the scope for purely national policy, but without negating the need for intervention when the burden is transferred to households.

For households preparing for this winter, the statements of the Environment and Energy Minister signal that the cost of heating is expected to remain significantly higher compared to last year, at least as long as the current international price environment persists. The connection that Stavros Papastavrou attempted to draw between a possible continuation of measures for motor fuels and a possible intervention for heating oil shows that the government is monitoring the two markets jointly. However, he did not announce a specific decision, but rather placed the matter as under examination, linked to the movement of international prices over the coming period. Consumers, as emerges from the statements, are called to monitor the forthcoming announcements to know whether and when there will be some form of support.

The minister did not specify a price per litre for heating oil, nor did he announce an amount for the heating allowance for the 2026–2027 period, matters that remain open. There was also no reference to a start date for the distribution of heating oil for this season, nor to a possible change in the special consumption tax. The decision on any new measures, according to Stavros Papastavrou, will depend on the movement of de-escalation or otherwise in international energy prices over the coming weeks. Until then, the government appears to be keeping open the possibility of extending the support framework that had been applied in previous months for motor fuels, without, however, having committed to a specific timeline or scale of measures. The relevant announcements, as emerges from the statements of the Environment and Energy Minister, are expected to depend directly on international conditions in the energy market.