Lex Delles, Minister for the Economy, SMEs, and Energy, has issued a precautionary statement warning that the supply of petroleum products could face disruptions in the coming weeks.
However, Delles has stressed that the situation is not dramatic and that there are sufficient fuel reserves available in both Luxembourg and Europe. He explained that the ministry decided to issue the warning to ensure transparency and avoid unnecessary alarm among the population.
Delles said that the worst thing that could happen in this situation would be for the ministry to fail to communicate, prompting people to worry about whether they will have petrol or diesel tomorrow to fill up their cars or to heat their homes, and leading to panic-buying.
Delles reassured the public that such panic-buying is "completely unnecessary" because Luxembourg and fuel suppliers have adequate reserves. While not all these reserves are stored within the Grand Duchy, there is still sufficient supply, he said.
Delles noted, however, that the number of storage facilities in Luxembourg is limited. Up until around two years ago, it was sufficient for these reserves to be kept in a neighbouring country. Nevertheless, since then a legal amendment requires fuel reserves to be stored in at least two different countries to increase security of supply.
Delles explained that in the imaginary scenario of a motorway bridge collapsing, those reserves could no longer be accessed. To mitigate such risks, fuel companies now have to spread their reserves across multiple locations; a legal change which is already paying off, according to Delles.
Luxembourg receives its petroleum products by water, rail, and road, but currently two of these routes are facing disruptions, partly due to the recent heatwaves.
Delles explained that on the one hand, water levels in the Rhine are so low that shipping is severely restricted. On the other, he said, major rail works are underway, and large fires in Belgium have led to the temporary closure of the Albert Canal. All of this is causing logistical problems across the region, he noted.
Despite these challenges, the minister insisted that at worst, individual petrol stations might temporarily run out of diesel or petrol. However, he emphasised that any such shortages would be isolated incidents and there is no indication of a widespread supply problem.
