OMV apparently requested this weeks ago and now the Turquoise Green government is responding to fuel bottlenecks. On Monday evening, Parliament’s main committee will decide to release another 100,000 tons of diesel and 45,000 tons of semi-finished products.
The SPÖ had previously warned in a hastily convened press conference that diesel was running out, citing a letter from OMV’s board of directors to Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) dated June 23, 2022. There are talks of “serious supply bottlenecks.” unless further reserves are released. “Based on the current schedule, which runs until September 2022, we will be able to supply contract customers and our own OMV filling stations less and less,” the letter reads.
Last week, the government denied that diesel could become scarce in Austria. There is “currently no shortage of supplies,” Gewessler said after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. So far I have OMV compensated for the losses after the accident with the refinery, emphasized Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
The oil reserve, the so-called mandatory emergency reserve (PNR), covers the average Austrian oil consumption of 90 days. Since the accident at the Schwechat refinery, 12,000 tons of diesel and 56,000 tons of petrol have already been released. This reduced the reserve stored in Austria by six days of consumption.
SPÖ warns of circumstances such as in Sri Lanka
SPÖ business spokesman Christoph Matznetter warned on Monday: “If we continue to do this, we will be in the situation in Sri Lanka in the fall”, where oil reserves held out for two days. Sri Lanka, which is heavily dependent on tourism, has entered its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 due to the corona pandemic, high government debt and rising oil prices. Inflation in the country of 22 million reached 54.6 percent in June and the central bank has warned it could rise to 70 percent in the coming months.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
