Consumers do not have to worry about the supply of petrol because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That is what BETA, the interest group of gas station owners, says. Hoarding fuel is not necessary, according to chairman Ewout Klok. He does point to a possible price increase of petrol, but does not expect that this will immediately go by tens of cents.
According to Klok, consumers do not have to worry that the situation in Ukraine will lead to empty petrol pumps in the future. “About 40 percent of the oil in the Netherlands comes from Norway and stocks are high,” he explains. “We have some kind of emergency iron stock so that the army can be supplied as well.” That stock is still good for about three months, says Klok. Russia is in second place in terms of oil imports, but that does not mean that the fuel supply is in acute danger. Hoarding is therefore not necessary.
However, Klok can imagine that people are buying fuel for fear of sharply rising petrol prices. Despite the sufficient stock, he does expect prices to rise. That will ‘not immediately go with tens of cents’ and also depends on the world market and what oil cartel OPEC does with production. When asked, the BETA chairman says that he has not yet received any signals from members about extreme crowds at the pump due to the raid. “It is a bit busier, but that is partly due to the reopening of the offices,” he explains.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl