Fuels: Esso-ExxonMobil expects a return to normal within “two to three weeks” in its refineries

by time news

Soon the end of fuel shortages? The return “to a normal operating situation” in the two Esso-ExxonMobil refineries, blocked by a social movement since the end of September, will take “two to three weeks”, indicated the group this Friday in a press release, after the lifting of the strike.

“The units of the two Esso Raffinage refineries will be gradually restarted according to the necessary safety protocols and in such a way as to minimize nuisance,” Esso explained. Over the next two to three weeks, “the productions of the two sites will not have returned to their optimal level”, specified the group.

A social movement to demand wage increases began on September 20 in the group’s two French refineries. The strike was lifted Thursday in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) and this Friday on the Norman site of Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime), after the conclusion of a salary agreement on Tuesday. Esso Refining productions were at a complete stop over the whole of this period, according to the group, which adds that sales volumes in September fell by 25% compared to August.

The government had requisitioned on Wednesday personnel “essential to the operation” of the fuel depot of the Esso-ExxonMobil refinery in Gravenchon-Port-Jérôme (Seine-Maritime). “The strike movement has been lifted here as in Fos-sur-Mer, negotiations with management are blocked and requisitions are in place, we no longer have any leverage to fight,” announced Christophe Aubert, central union delegate. CGT after the general meeting at 2 p.m.

The confident government

The striking employees of TotalEnergies renewed their movement this Friday on all the sites of the oil group. “We have both commercial stocks and strategic stocks (…) they were designed to last 90 days, so given the duration of the conflict we still have a lot left”, however reminded a source at Matignon.

“Now that we have both depots which have returned to normal plus the requisition (of the TotalEnergies depot in Mardyck near Dunkirk), we have enough stock volumes for the closure of refineries which have not yet restarted is not a problem today,” she added.

“We will see the first fairly immediate effects of the deposits which are released”, indicated this Friday evening a source within the Ministry of Energy Transition, evoking for his part a delay “of the order of a week to restore the situation. and “therefore stations returning to normal next week”.

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