How the Scheme Worked
A Closed Circuit in a Captive Market
Corsica has no refineries and only two fuel depots, both operating under a storage-capacity pooling system managed by DPLC. Between 2016 and 2023, depot access was governed by a contract that banned operators from renting individual storage space. Instead, companies could only tap into available stock—but only if they were members of the DPLC system.
Until January 2023, DPLC membership required being a shareholder. Any operator without shares had no choice but to buy its road fuel directly from one of the depot owners—its own competitor.
The watchdog said these membership conditions lacked “objective, transparent and non-discriminatory” criteria and ultimately created unequal treatment that could foreclose non-shareholder operators.
Concentrated Market, Higher Prices
The authority noted that Corsica’s fuel distribution market is unusually concentrated, with only three major operators and few competitive pressures—unlike mainland France, where large retail chains often disrupt fuel prices.
Historically, TotalEnergies, Shell, BP, and Esso jointly controlled DPLC. From 2010 to 2017, a series of asset transfers shifted control, leaving Rubis with a dominant stake—70% through Rubis Terminal and 5% through Rubis Énergie.
