The situation is tense in several service stations which are starting to run out of fuel. While the supply of certain pumps can begin to become delicate due to the conflict over the pension reform, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, reports “difficult local situations, as in the Bouches-du-Rhône”.
“Of the six French refineries, all are experiencing a certain number of disturbances”, he recalls on France info. However, he declares that “we are not at the time of the requisition”. He takes care to specify that it is “framed” by law and that this process is “never (used) with joy of heart”. “It’s always a last resort. »
“There are tense situations, a few places in France,” he said. “If necessary, we will take action,” he said.
“We have taken anticipatory measures,” he takes care to specify. He mentions in particular the “replenishment of strategic stocks, which are at a high level”, which makes it possible to continue to supply service stations. According to Clément Beaune, full precaution plays a role in the current situation.
“The fuel shortage will intensify”, warned this Monday morning, on Franceinfo, Emmanuel Lépine, secretary general of the National Federation of Chemical Industries of the CGT. “No product comes out of any refinery today,” he points out.
In addition, the quantity of crude oil to be refined is dwindling due to the blocking of the port of Le Havre, in the department of Seine-Maritime. In Feyzin, in the metropolis of Lyon, shipments from the refinery must stop during the day. In Lavéra, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, production at the refinery is being shut down.
“I have never seen such determination”
The refineries of Gonfreville (Seine-Maritime), Donges (Loire-Atlantique), La Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) are already shut down. “I have never seen such determination among oil workers,” said Emmanuel Lépine.
Disruptions in this sector of activity have repercussions spaced out over time. Stopping production can only be done gradually. Once production stops, supplying service stations becomes increasingly difficult. When activity resumes, it takes several days for performance to be normal and for station deliveries to be made normally and for the influx of customers to return to normal.
Since this weekend, the situation has become more and more complicated in certain stations, especially in the south of France. This video shows cars queuing for several tens of meters. They are waiting to be able to refuel at a station on the A50 motorway.
The participatory site Mon essence reports this Monday of 591 stations in partial rupture. 430 would be in total rupture.
The Vaucluse prefecture has limited sales since Monday until Thursday inclusive in order to avoid phenomena of “preventive purchases detrimental to proper functioning”. It “advocates civic behavior, to ensure the satisfaction of everyone’s needs”. “The sale and purchase of fuels (gasoline, diesel, ethanol, LPG) are limited to 30 liters for vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes and 120 liters for vehicles weighing more than 3 .5 tons. This limitation “does not apply to public service vehicles or companies carrying out a public service mission”.