- Australia’s fuel crisis is worsening and some stations are going dry.
- 105 stations in New South Wales have reportedly run out of diesel.
- Leaders are urging people not to horde fuel and make things worse.
The war in Iran is about to enter its second month and the fallout continues to impact drivers across the globe. While many are concerned about prices, some have to worry about getting fuel itself.
That’s already playing out in Australia, where the Premier of New South Wales recently revealed 105 stations have run out of diesel, while 35 have run out of both gasoline and diesel. However, that’s out of around 2,500 stations in the state, so only 4.2% are out of diesel while 1.4% have gone dry altogether.
More: Fuel Rationing Talk Spooks Drivers, But Panic Buying Might Be A Bigger Problem In Australia
While that’s a small number, Chris Minns told News Australia there’s “more petrol in the economy today than there was five weeks ago or four weeks ago” thanks to the “result of the strategic reserves being released and the sulphur content restrictions being eased.”
Despite this, Minns implied people are starting to horde fuel over supply concerns. He encouraged people to only take what they need as “you might be taking [fuel] from someone else that really needs it.”
Fuel shortages appear to be primarily impacting remote areas and independent stations. The former are a big concern as their might not be many alternatives nearby.
ABC reports Australia imports most of its fuel and currently only has 38 days worth of gasoline in strategic reserves. The country is also said to have 30 days of diesel and jet fuel.
The organization also talked to Minns and reported he wouldn’t comment on the possibility of fuel rationing. However, the premier told them, “We will of course take emergency measures if required, but those measures themselves have an impact on the economy and businesses in New South Wales.”
As the fuel crisis appears to be worsening, there’s plenty of political infighting and even common sense ideas are coming under attack. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, floated the idea of people working from home to help reduce fuel consumption and demand. While that seems like a sound idea, some politicians dismissed the idea.
