supply to Île-de-France has restarted

The fuel supply remains tight on Friday March 24, despite the requisitions put in place by the government in several refineries. For two months, the energy sector – gas, oil, electricity – has been particularly mobilized against the government’s pension reform.

Intervention of law enforcement in Normandy

After an intervention by the police, the supply of fuel to the Paris basin by the large TotalEnergies refinery in Gonfreville-l’Orcher in Normandy resumed on Friday morning, according to the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

“The pumping has restarted” et “this makes it possible to supply Île-de-France”said the minister, questioned by RMC on the intervention of the police during the night to unblock the Normandy refinery and allow the requisitioned employees to take up their service. “These are ultra-targeted requisitions, we are talking about three or four employees who must take up their service”added the minister.

Gas stations experiencing difficulties Friday, March 24. / Visactu

“It’s just the shipments that will resume, very partially and if they succeed, and on a single product, kerosene because the Paris airports are dry”, nuance however Eric Sellini, national coordinator CGT Chemistry. The day before, the ministry had alerted on the situation « critique » fuel supply at Ile-de-France airports.

Three employees of the TotalEnergies refinery in Donges (Loire-Atlantique), on strike since March 7, were also requisitioned on Friday, according to the CFDT.

“Now, with depots on strike, and five out of six refineries shut down, the objective is to hold out until the withdrawal”, However, assured Eric Sellini. The Esso ExxonMobil refinery in Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime), whose fuel shipments have so far been blocked, will indeed be forced to stop production from Saturday, due to a lack of crude oil to be refined, said Friday the CGT.

1,255 service stations partially out of service

Friday morning, 15% of French stations lacked at least one fuel and about 7% were dry. A total of 1,255 stations were partially out of service on Friday at noon, lacking at least one type of fuel, while 947 stations were in total out of service, according to the participatory map “Shortage of my gasoline”.

In the nine most affected departments, between two and five out of ten service stations are dry. These are Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Ille-et-Vilaine, Ariège and Bouches-du-Rhône, Hérault and du Var, according to these data.

“We are not at all in a situation of shortage. And deliveries from tanker trucks to service stations are normal,” ensured Friday morning on franceinfo Olivier Gantois, president of the French Union of Petroleum Industries.

In Ariège, the sale of fuel has been limited by the prefecture, reserved for priority vehicles.

Eleven service stations in Bouches-du-Rhône have also been requisitioned since Wednesday in the Var, Gard and even Vaucluse to prioritize emergency vehicles.