Fuels: 12% of French service stations in need of supply – Le Figaro

The government spokesman, Olivier Véran, however assured this Wednesday that there was “no shortage”. A growing number of petrol stations must temporarily close, for lack of sufficient stock. At the end of the Council of Ministers, this Wednesday, the government spokesperson, Olivier Véran, admitted that there were many “tensions” of supply in a significant part of the establishments, which must close temporarily, for lack of product. A “double parameter plays”, he specified. On the one hand, the strike affecting the refineries disrupts the logistics circuits and can lead to occasional shortages. On the other hand, the increased discount on prices at the pump led to a drop in prices, then to a jump in demand, leading to “tensions in the availability of one or more fuels”, locally. impressive, “there is no shortage”, nuanced the spokesperson, calling on consumers to reason, in order to avoid “panic effects” or a rush on the gas pumps. “Everything is on the table to ensure that [ces difficultés] be reabsorbed”, he assured, noting that the State had “drawn from the strategic stocks […] here and there” in order to supply stations. 30% of service stations in the North impacted Hauts-de-France, it thus exceeds 30%, added the representative of the executive. To “restore a normal situation as quickly as possible” in the North, “so-called ‘strategic’ stocks were released today in order to restock service stations”, announced in the evening the prefect of Hauts-de-France, in a press release. The authorities have also asked the operators of certain northern stations “to set up priority access” for “medical transport”, doctors and nurses. The sale and purchase of fuel in jerrycans and drums has also been banned in the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Somme regions. According to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, the situation is particularly difficult in the areas around Arras and Béthune. A little earlier in the day, the LR president of the Hauts-de-France region, Xavier Bertrand, s was alarmed by the situation, in a letter to the government: “Drivers are having more and more difficulty finding stations, sometimes even in territories very far from depots”, he underlined, referring to “situations shortage or long wait” in his region. “I ask the government to quickly remedy this situation so that essential public services, such as school and road transport, can circulate,” he wrote. SEE ALSO – Fuel: “We are not in a situation of shortage”, reassures Olivier VéranA rush on TotalEnergies stationsStarted a few days ago, the strike affecting oil depots and refineries of the giant TotalEnergies continues to disrupt logistics networks. At the origin of the mobilization, the CGT is demanding significant wage increases, in order to counter the losses caused by inflation. The energy company is also a victim of the success of its own operation to restore purchasing power to households. : anxious to avoid a tax on superprofits, the group has reinforced its reduction on the price paid at the pump until the end of the year. In front of the deputies of the flash mission on the “superprofits”, the CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, indicated that the first version of his discount on the prices at the pump, of 10 centimes, led to a “ripple effect” at its competitors, as well as a jump in volumes of “20%”. The reinforced version has meanwhile resulted in a “rush of the French on the stations”, with an explosion in attendance of “80%” the first week, an overwhelmed logistics system and large queues. “We have been overwhelmed,” summed up the leader. For the time being, the successive discounts have cost his company some 171 million euros, a sum that will increase as long as the device remains active. “You tell us: you are making excess profits on refining [en France]well, we are using them to finance the rebate operation, ”he told the deputies. SEE ALSO – Fuel: TotalÉnergies gas stations out of stock