Fuels: Hauts-de-France forced to draw on strategic stocks

Gauthier Delomez, with AFP 6:30 p.m., October 06, 2022

Energy tension in Hauts-de-France.

The delegate prefect for defense and security in the North zone, Louis-Xavier Thirode, spoke of the lack of petrol in certain stations when the region decided to dip into strategic stocks.

“The situation in the Hauts-de-France service stations is very tense”, he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. “We are not in crisis, but we have supply difficulties, c “that is to say that the product is in the depots but it does not reach the stations correctly”, indicates the delegate prefect in

.

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Very high demand and blocking of a large deposit

Supply difficulties are felt throughout France, in particular at TotalEnergies stations, victims of the success of a rebate at the pump and a strike in its refineries and depots.

But for the past few days, the shortages have been particularly glaring in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, with certain cities, such as Arras or Béthune, very affected.

The two prefects on Wednesday banned the sale and purchase of fuel in jerry cans, calling on the population to "show civility and solidarity".

Louis-Xavier Thirode explains the reasons for this tension on gasoline: "This situation is mainly due to very strong demand and also to the unavailability of the main depot in the North, blocked by a strike movement. Between 20 and 40% stations have no more diesel, it is this that poses a problem", he underlines.

The decision to tap into strategic stocks

According to the delegated prefect, the strong demand is due to "economic activity, in particular agricultural, transport. There is a border demand (Belgian in particular) which also exists and there are also incentive measures conducive to making full in advance", he notes, hoping that the social dialogue will lead to the release of the deposit.

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Faced with this crisis, the department is drawing on strategic stocks.

“These are the stocks available in the oil depots, which are precautionary stocks which make it possible to cope with three months of consumption”, evokes Louis-Xavier Thirode.

"We decided to start these stocks so that distributors can speed up the filling of service stations (...). These stocks have existed for a long time in the oil world, for a good hundred years, so from time to time we call on them."

“No supply disruption in the coming weeks”

For the rest, the delegate prefect for the defense and security of the North reports that his services "have seen with the tankers so as not to have a supply disruption in the coming weeks and that they are accelerating their orders. For example, a big tanker arrived in Dunkirk yesterday (Wednesday) with nearly 30,000 m3, which corresponds to three weeks of diesel consumption. Others will arrive", promises Louis-Xavier Thirode.

Who argues that "the effects of these measures" are expected "within a few days, and until then, we call on everyone not to rush to the pump".