Paris

French government said on Wednesday that the country has tapped strategic fuel reserves to resupply petrol stations that have run out of fuel. The decision has been taken due to strikes by workers at refineries and depots. This has stunted production and blocked deliveries. 

Advertisment

Government spokesman Olivier Veran acknowledged "tensions" but said there was no shortage of fuel stocks on a national level. He urged consumers not to panic-buy.

Authorities in the hardest hit Hauts-de-France region have banned sale of  petrol and diesel in jerry cans and other portable containers.

"We are obviously monitoring very, very closely the situation together with the operators and, here and there, when it was necessary, we have used our strategic stocks to enable the stations to be supplied," Veran told reporters.

Advertisment

A walkout by hard-left CGT trade union members at TotalEnergies has disrupted operations at two refineries and two storage facilities, while two Exxon Mobil refineries have faced similar problems since Sept. 20.

This has left more than 60 per cent of France's refining capacity offline.

Veran said roughly one in every 10 service stations nationally were experiencing some shortages, but that in the north the figure was closer to one in every three.

Advertisment

The UFIP petroleum industry body said the shortages at fuel pumps were due to logistics and not insufficient supplies.

"There are no shortages in supply due to the strikes," a UFIP spokesperson said.

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

×