The continued fluctuation in international oil prices and the sharp rise in local fuel prices are increasing residents’ cost of living and putting pressure on sectors with high fuel demand, such as construction and transport.
According to the industry, long-term contracts were signed when prices were low. With the steep increase, local construction projects and commercial vehicles are now directly bearing this pressure, raising operating costs and fuelling concerns about the broader impact on prices.
Society is also paying attention to the issue of fuel prices that “rise quickly and fall slowly”. The authorities recently indicated to the oil sector that they will continue to closely monitor price changes and provide updated information to the market. They also hope the sector will cooperate in stabilising prices to ease the burden on residents, while calling for discounts to be offered to consumers.
I agree that the authorities should ensure supply stability, follow price trends, and review the pricing mechanism for fuels imported into Macau in order to improve market transparency.
For example, the “Macau Fuel Price Information Platform” currently publishes the companies’ daily prices, which helps the public. In addition, the authorities used to publish a table comparing retail prices for 98-octane unleaded petrol between Macau and Zhuhai, but this information has only been updated until the end of 2025.
Therefore, it is hoped that the authorities will improve information transparency by adding price trend charts for different types of fuel, drawing on the example of neighbouring regions. To ease pressure on the sector, it is also hoped that the authorities will establish closer communication channels with the construction and transport industries in order to collect data on operational pressures and study viable support measures.
The industry hopes that an appropriate mechanism can be studied in public works contracts to allow for adjustments in line with real conditions in the event of sudden price increases.
In the long term, in order to reduce dependence on traditional fuels, the feasibility of using new energy in commercial vehicles should be promoted through the improvement of supporting infrastructure, including the expansion of charging facilities and the exploration of battery-swapping models, thereby advancing environmental protection and decarbonisation.
