FRANCE: French oil boss warns against panic buying of fuel during refinery strike and dismisses talk of shortages

Record ID: 572637

  • Title: FRANCE: French oil boss warns against panic buying of fuel during refinery strike and dismisses talk of shortages
  • Date: 20th February 2010
  • Summary: GRANDPUITS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 19, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GRANDPUITS REFINERY OUTSIDE PARIS VARIOUS STRIKERS BY GATE PARIS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 19, 2010) (REUTERS) JEAN-LOUIS SCHILANSKY, HEAD OF THE FRENCH PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BODY UFIP, THE MAIN OIL INUDSTRY ASSOCIATION, AT WORK IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (French) UFIP CHAIRMAN JEAN-LOUIS SCHILANSKY, "There's no risk of a short-term shortage of fuel because the French refinery system continues to work. There aren't just Total refineries. And also because there is a networks of depots. There are 160 depots in France that are supplied by the refineries and we have stocks." GRANDPUITS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 19, 2010) (REUTERS) VIEW REFINERY (SOUNDBITE) (French) UFIP CHAIRMAN JEAN-LOUIS SCHILANSKY SAYING: "There's no crisis, at least in the short term. That said, if it lasted a very long time, that would be another matter. But the fundamental point is that drivers should continue to live as normal. When they need fuel, they should buy fuel. They should not panic. Were they to panic that would create more problems." GRANDPUITS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 19, 2010) (REUTERS) TANKER APPROACHING CLOSED REFINERY GATE AND THEN REVERSING
  • Embargoed: 7th March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Employment,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QBDFSVCJW2K7SWWL27TZTQVC
  • Story Text: The head of the French oil industry association UFIP on Friday (November 18) dismissed union talk that a major refinery strike would starve the country of petrol, but urged drivers to not panic and rush to the petrol pumps needlessly.
    "There's no risk of a short-term shortage of fuel because the French refinery system continues to work. There aren't just Total refineries. And also because there is a networks of depots. There are 160 depots in France that are supplied by the refineries and we have stocks," said Jean-Luis Schilansky, the chairman of the industry association UFIP.
    Six refineries controlled by the Total energy group have been blockaded by strikers for the past two days in protest at company plans to close down one of the installations. Strikers voted on Thursday (February 18) for an unlimited blockade and are promising petrol shortages within a few days.
    The stoppage has effectively blocked 50 percent of the country's dozen refineries.
    Schilansky said that a network of 160 fuel depots were well stocked and there was no shortage. But he warned that panic buying could cause problems.
    "There's no crisis, at least in the short term. That said, if it lasted avery long time, that would be another matter. But the fundamental point is that drivers should continue to live as normal. When they need fuel, they should buy fuel. They should not panic. Were they to panic that would create more problems," he said.
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