Belgian oil suppliers are struggling to cope with increasing demand due to a combination of recent cold weather, supply chain bottlenecks, and the cheaper cost of oil relative to gas.
"I hear from many people that they have never experienced anything like this," Johan Mattart of the Belgian Federation of Fuel and Fuel Traders (BRAFCO) told De Tijd. "‘It is very difficult for all suppliers to get their hands on oil right now. It's all hands on deck."
Among the most important causes of the shortages are issues with TotalEnergies' enormous refining and petrochemicals complex in Antwerp — the company's largest in Europe — which is currently undergoing maintenance.
"It's not a sectoral problem," explained Jean-Benoît Schrans, a spokesman for ENERGIA, a federation which represents major Belgian-based petroleum companies. "There is only a problem of punctuality with one party, TotalEnergies."
Related News
- Belgium risks major gas shortages this winter
- High energy prices will kill more than 100,000 Europeans this winter, study finds
"There is a little less product available and that is especially noticeable with fuel oil," admits TotalEnergies spokesman Tom Claerbout. "The refinery in Antwerp is undergoing major maintenance that has to be done every five to seven years, and it is taking longer than planned. [But] we are doing everything possible to serve our customers as well as possible."
The shortages have reportedly become so serious that BRAFCO is now calling on the Belgian Government to temporarily release its strategic oil reserves, which by European law are required to be sufficient to sustain the country's consumption needs for 90 days.
Belgium's oil supply problems come at a time when the country is also in serious danger of experiencing major gas shortages this winter due to the recent freezing weather.
