Map: unleaded petrol shortages grow – worst-hit areas

Drivers in eastern France are facing a localised but intense petrol shortage, as some departments saw nearly 30% of service stations run out of certain fuel types over the weekend.

The shortage mainly affects SP95 and SP98, the most common types of unleaded petrol in France.

Departments with the highest stockout rates of the fuel on Sunday (August 16) included Bas-Rhin (29.0%), Haut-Rhin (28.1%), Territoire de Belfort (27.8%), Vosges (20.5%), and Haute-Saône (17.9%). 

Nationwide, 653 out of 9,804 stations were out of unleaded petrol on Sunday evening, an overall stockout rate of 6.7%.

"It's been hell trying to find fuel for my older car," said Anne to media outlet Le Parisien. 

"I use E5, which has been basically impossible to find in the Haut-Rhin the past week, and my car has broken down several times," she added.

The driver had purchased to five-litre jerricans to use in emergencies for the vehicle, but hat stopped driving otherwise.

Both petrol and diesel (gazole) prices have seen slight increases in the last week, as continued tensions in the Middle East keep fears over further fuel shortages fresh in the mind of governments and drivers alike. 

France’s €100 fuel aid for those who use their car for work/commuting remains open until August 31. 

Droughts cause shortage

Unlike other shortages in recent years, due largely to geopolitical tensions, spikes in oil prices, or strike action, this one is perhaps surprisingly caused by the record drought affecting France and other locations in Europe. 

While departments in the west and south of France see stocks supplied by massive domestic petrol production sites (or otherwise imported into major western and southern ports), eastern departments obtain much of their fuel from neighbouring countries such as Germany.

Petrol arriving via Germany (which is typically imported from several other sources and not produced domestically in the country) can often be cheaper for Alsatian stations to buy and stock than if it were transported from facilities in western France, due to the shorter transport distances required. 

Major droughts have severely reduced water levels across major rivers including the Rhine this summer, limiting the amount of goods that ships can carry up and down waterways. 

Up to 70% of service stations in the Alsace area obtain fuel via river shipments down the Rhine.

Vessels transporting fuel have been hit hard in particular by safety restrictions linked to the drought, with some only authorised to carry around 25% of their usual load. 

A drop in supply has combined with a rise in fuel usage. Families heading out on summer holidays, a spike of tourists in the area, and the end to temporary fuel tax relief in Germany making cross-border purchases less advantageous have all increased petrol demand in the east of France.

In addition, SP98 and E5 SP95 fuels are less common in French vehicles, so stocks are generally lower, making shortages harder to plug.

This has left stations facing dwindling supplies as their typical refill routes are limited. 

This is also why departments elsewhere in France are relatively untouched by shortages, which as of the start of the week remain a localised issue in the east. 

Diesel supplies remain relatively unaffected – as France imports most of its diesel, suppliers generally spread this across the country more evenly than petrol, which is produced domestically and therefore sees certain areas have easier access to supplies.

Conditions should however ease at the start of the week after authorities approved exceptional measures across the weekend allowing fuel-carrying tankers to run on French roads between 22:00 on Friday - 22:00 Sunday (August 14 - 16). 

These vehicles are typically banned from driving overnight and on weekends. 

The measures however should have allowed additional supplies to be brought in from departments further west. 

You can find live information on fuel prices as well as shortages in France on the official government comparison website.