Fuel price war in offing at Galway’s pumps

A fuel price war is set to erupt in Galway City, with plans by Applegreen – the chain which offers some of the cheapest fuel in the country – to open a new filling station on the Tuam Road.

Petrogas Ltd, which operates more than 70 Applegreen filling stations around the country, has sought permission to redevelop the former Hanley’s filling station beside the former Galway Renault showrooms.

At the moment, the chain has the cheapest fuel in the country – 141.8c per litre of diesel and 147.8c per litre of petrol in one of their outlets (at the moment, the cheapest diesel in the city is 144.9c and 153.9 for petrol).

The introduction of a new competitor to the market is expected to prompt a price war.

The Applegreen plans include the demolition of the existing workshop and the removal of underground fuel tanks, and the construction of a new 5,400 square foot single storey building with three food counters, retail area and toilets.

The plans also include a brush wash area and single storey carwash building, and three new 40,000 litre tanks to be placed underground.

The company has a lease agreement with site owner Marian Hanley.

“The proposed forecourt building comprises of retail area including ancillary off licence.

“In addition to the retail area, like most modern forecourt shops, the proposal also envisages food offering and associated seating areas for patrons to consume food and refreshments on the premises,” the application reads.

The company is seeking to operate the station on a 24-hour basis, with food served from 6am to midnight.