Petrol station owners yesterday submitted workings on their operational costs to back their claims for a higher profit margin for the service they offer.

Figures they gave during a six-hour meeting with the Malta Resources Authority showed a considerable increase in costs while their profit margin remained unchanged.

The owners get 5c1 for every litre of fuel sold. This margin is revised every three years but it was last set in 2007. The owners have demanded an extra 3c2, broken down into a 1c1 increase in their profit and a further 2c1 that would go towards the refurbishment of the 89 petrol stations spread across the country.

Petrol stations need to meet EU standards by 2020 – a process that requires an estimated investment of about €25 million in all. A fund previously set up by Enemalta for this purpose was only estimated to have added up to €4 million by July.

The owners had threatened to take action over lack of agreement with Enemalta on the issue. They had been expected to turn off automatic pumps at 6 p.m. and possibly escalate their action by laying off attendants and resorting to exclusive use of automatic pumps.

The action has now been postponed as discussions carry on. Contacted after the meeting, owners’ representative Carlo Cini said nothing had been concluded as the figures they submitted had still to be discussed internally by the MRA board.

He did not wish to say what the owners had proposed during the meeting but simply said they had presented the authority with “evidence” of their operational cost increases.

Mr Cini said the MRA board will give them its feedback tomorrow. After that, the owners will meet again on Tuesday and possibly decide what action to take if no agreement is reached.

The authority had also submitted its own workings on the owners’ operational costs but these, he said, were “far lower” than the actual figures.

When contacted, the MRA said it was analysing the figures submitted by the station owners and will be providing feedback by tomorrow as agreed.