The approach of the reduction in rebates on the liter of gasoline convinced many motorists to fill up on Monday, November 14, to the point that many service stations were out of fuel. On Wednesday, the discount of 30 euro cents per liter of fuel financed by the State since 1er September will drop to 10 cents, and that of TotalEnergies will drop from 20 to 10 cents.
The two discounts of 10 cents will be in effect until December 31. In 2023, the government is instead planning targeted aid for motorists “who are struggling to make ends meet”as stated by the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal.
About 13% of stations completely dry
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), nearly 21% of service stations in the country were out of at least one fuel – petrol or diesel – on Monday. About 13% were completely dry, according to data transmitted by the stations on the price-carburants.gouv.fr site. In seventeen departments, more than 40% lacked either gasoline or diesel, with strong regional disparities.
Most of the departments in the Paris region reported deficiencies: Seine-Saint-Denis (49.5% of stations affected), Val-d’Oise (46%), Yvelines (45%) or even Paris (43 .6%). In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 58% of Puy-de-Dôme stations lacked at least one type of fuel, and 46% in the Rhône.
“This excitement is due to the end of the discounts (…)but also at the three-day weekend [du fait du vendredi 11 novembre férié]with one day less supply last week »explains to AFP Francis Pousse, president in charge of service stations and new energies of Mobilians, a professional union which represents 5,800 traditional stations (excluding mass distribution).
“The trucks are starting to roll again”
In continuous decline since mid-October, the price of diesel was displayed last week at the pump at 1.83 euros per liter on a national average, or 3.6 cents less than the previous week, according to figures from the ministry. of the ecological transition arrested on Friday and published on Monday. Unleaded 95, stable, cost an average of 1.68 euros per litre, and unleaded 95-E10 recorded a slight increase of 1.74 cents, to 1.62 euros per litre.
“You don’t instantly restock a set of gas stations”underlines Francis Pousse, who refuses to speak of shortage in France. “Trucks have started rolling again since [lundi] morning to replenish gas stations”, he says; otherwise, “fuel consumption should slow down significantly from Wednesday” with lower discounts.