Car drivers queue to fill their fuel tanks at gasoline pumps at Auchan gas station in Petite-Foret, France, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo
PARIS: Around 10% of petrol stations in the Paris region are having problems getting enough fuel supplies, French government spokesman Olivier Veran said on Friday, as strikes at four TotalEnergies refineries continue for a tenth day.
Long queues formed at inner-city and suburban service stations in and around the capital as early as Wednesday, with lines stretching back on to the main A1 motorway heading northwards out of the city, according to a Reuters reporter.
Most urban petrol stations appeared to be affected by shortages of at least one type of fuel, with most diesel pumps running dry.
Strike action and unplanned maintenance has taken offline more than 60% of France's refining capacity- or 740,000 barrels per day (bpd) - forcing the country to import more when global supply uncertainty has increased the cost.
A walkout by CGT trade union members at TotalEnergies mainly over pay has disrupted operations at two refineries and two storage facilities, and two Exxon Mobil refineries have faced similar problems since Sept 20.
A big gathering of workers is planned for Tuesday in front of the Le Havre, La Mede and Feyzin refineries, a CGT spokesperson told Reuters.
Fuel tanker trucks, which are usually not allowed to make deliveries on Sundays, will be allowed to operate in response to the strike that has been causing the fuel supply problems, Transport Minister Clement Beaune told news channel LCI.
The minister also said he would bring transport unions together on Friday "to see where we can improve the supply locally."
He said the government is trying to facilitate a dialogue between CGT and TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Government spokesman Veran reiterated that France had enough supplies of petrol overall.
"There are temporary problems regarding distribution," Veran told BFM TV and RMC Radio.
He said that 90% of petrol stations in the Paris area had no problems, although 15% of petrol stations in France overall were experiencing these "temporary difficulties."
The strike is part of wider industrial action across France - over wage demands, pensions and purchasing power as inflation spirals across Europe - that has also led to strikes at nuclear reactors restricting power supply.
The French government said earlier this week that France had tapped its strategic fuel reserves to resupply petrol stations that have run dry, amid the strikes by workers at refineries and depots that have curbed production and blocked deliveries.
