The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) is calling on the government to extend its fuel subsidy intervention into the second pricing window of September to cushion consumers against expected increases at the pumps.

In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah, COPEC is proposing a GH¢1 per litre relief for petrol consumers while urging the government to maintain the GH¢2 per litre subsidy on diesel until global petroleum price benchmarks return to normal levels.

COPEC’s appeal comes as it projects that petrol will increase to an average of GH¢16.26 per litre, while diesel is expected to rise to GH¢19.07 per litre from Wednesday, September 16.

The Chamber attributed the projected increases to significant rises in international crude oil and refined petroleum product prices.

COPEC said the global crude oil price had increased from $89.30 to $103.07 per barrel, while the Free-On-Board price of petrol rose by 10.08% and diesel by 12.33%.

The Chamber also appealed to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to “shelve some of their margins” to avoid placing additional pressure on consumers amid the expected price increases.

It further urged the government to expedite expansion works at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to increase its refining capacity from the current 45,000 barrels per day to 100,000 barrels per day, which it believes would reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported finished petroleum products.