Fuel Shortages Affect Many Critical Sectors

The strike in the energy sector and the resulting fuel shortages or rationing are weighing on operations.

Share:

The strike in the energy sector and the resulting fuel shortages or rationing are impacting operations and workers who are heavily dependent on vehicle travel.

This is a burden in addition to the increase in fuel and energy prices, but its impact on the French economy is still difficult to measure.

According to INSEE, 74% of people who travel to work use their car.

“It is a problem of stress but also a problem of cost because it increases the tension on a market that did not need it and it weighs on the purchasing power of employees,” said Fabrice Le Saché, vice-president and spokesman of Medef.

“Panic” among caregivers and firefighters

Certain emergency vehicles (firefighters, police, SAMU or gendarmerie) are considered as priority. Liberal caregivers (doctors, nurses, home care workers, and seniors’ aides) are demanding that they too have this access.

Firefighters in the Rhône region have asked for measures to allow them to buy fuel to reach their fire stations and thus ensure “continuity of service”.

Apart from health and firefighters, other sectors are asking for the release of additional strategic stocks from the State to maintain their activity.

Transportation “very concerned”

“There is a problem for all companies that have vehicle fleets,” summarizes Fabrice Le Saché.

Road hauliers are “on the edge”, according to the professional organization Otre. The companies have their own tanks but “always have difficulties to be delivered” in time and in quantity.

Some gas stations also refuse to serve or restrict access to trucks.

“We have carriers who have mobilized employees and a delivery service to refuel vehicles during the night … to hope to be able to leave the next morning for deliveries,” says François Asselin, president of the Confederation of SMEs, also mentioning difficulties for maintenance services, breakdown services and cabs.

FlixBus long-distance coaches have requested priority access for their area. Several driving schools have also raised the alarm, with instructors forced to wait in line for hours to fill up.

The wholesalers are “very worried” and anticipate “severe disruptions in deliveries” from Friday, most do not have storage tanks. Some companies have moved up their start times early in the morning to find fuel.

“No seedlings” for agriculture

In the north of France, farmers have exhausted their reserves of RNG (non-road diesel) and are seeing their deliveries rationed: no more than 1,000 liters in the Marne or in Flanders.

Several farms are or will be shut down in the coming days, warned the farmers’ federations, denouncing “a hostage situation” at a critical time.

“If we don’t do the sowing of cereals, it will have an impact on the availability of wheat in 2023 and therefore on bread. We are on alert, because the sowing is now, not in ten days or a month,” explained Joel Limouzin, vice president of the majority agricultural union FNSEA.

Another blow for the building industry

Some construction sites have already been suspended, reports François Asselin of the CPME.

“In the construction industry, excavators and machines need a lot of fuel, the places most affected by shortages are the Ile-de-France and the Hauts de France, with also employees who can not reach their sites, “said the president of the building trades (CAPEB) Jean-Christophe Repon.

It asks the government the possibility of obtaining partial activity measures by territory as was the case for Covid-19.

Business and leisure, collateral victims

For Fabrice Le Saché, there is an impact on “leisure, restaurants, shopping centers and trade in general, tertiary activities …

There are people who freeze their weekends and therefore do not consume and do not travel.” “Activity during the week of September 26 was very good (…) but it is down 6% compared to last year during the following week,” especially in outlying areas where consumers drive, added Yohann Petiot, Alliance’s general manager for the
commerce, which includes department stores and clothing and footwear brands.

“The logistics of the brands are under tension and this has the effect of slowing down the activity for some stores (…) For all that, the supply of the stores remains fully assured”, assured the
federation of commerce and distribution.

US President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act dramatically changes energy investment rules, imposing restrictions on renewables while favouring hydrocarbons, according to a recent report by consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie.
On July 8, 2025, the Senate validated the Gremillet bill, aimed at structuring France's energy transition with clear objectives for nuclear power, renewable energies, and energy renovation.
Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru significantly increase renewable electricity production, reaching nearly 70% of the regional electricity mix, according to a recent Wood Mackenzie study on Latin America's energy sector.
The Canadian government announces an investment of more than $40mn to fund 13 energy projects led by Indigenous communities across the country, aiming to improve energy efficiency and increase local renewable energy use.
The German Ministry of Economy plans to significantly expand aid aimed at reducing industrial electricity costs, increasing eligible companies from 350 to 2,200, at an estimated cost of €4bn ($4.7bn).
The Republican budget bill passed by the U.S. Senate accelerates the phase-out of tax credits for renewable energies, favoring fossil fuels and raising economic concerns among solar and wind industry professionals.
Rapid growth in solar and wind capacities will lead to a significant rise in electricity curtailment in Brazil, as existing transmission infrastructure remains inadequate to handle this massive influx of energy, according to a recent study by consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
In April 2025, fossil fuels represented 49.5% of South Korea's electricity mix, dropping below the symbolic threshold of 50% for the first time, primarily due to a historic decline in coal-generated electricity production.
The US Senate Finance Committee modifies the '45Z' tax credit to standardize the tax treatment of renewable fuels, thereby encouraging advanced biofuel production starting October 2025.
According to the 2025 report on global energy access, despite notable progress in renewable energy, insufficient targeted financing continues to hinder electricity and clean cooking access, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
While advanced economies maintain global energy leadership, China and the United States have significantly progressed in the security and sustainability of their energy systems, according to the World Economic Forum's annual report.
On the sidelines of the US–Africa summit in Luanda, Algiers and Luanda consolidate their energy collaboration to better exploit their oil, gas, and mining potential, targeting a common strategy in regional and international markets.
The UK's Climate Change Committee is urging the government to quickly reduce electricity costs to facilitate the adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles, judged too slow to achieve the set climate targets.
The European Commission will extend until the end of 2030 an expanded state-aid framework, allowing capitals to fund low-carbon technologies and nuclear power to preserve competitiveness against China and the United States.
Japan's grid operator forecasts an energy shortfall of up to 89 GW by 2050 due to rising demand from semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Energy-intensive European industries will be eligible for temporary state aid to mitigate high electricity prices, according to a new regulatory framework proposed by the European Commission under the "Clean Industrial Deal."
Mauritius seeks international investors to swiftly build a floating power plant of around 100 MW, aiming to secure the national energy supply by January 2026 and address current production shortfalls.
Madrid announces immediate energy storage measures while Lisbon secures its electrical grid, responding to the historic outage that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula in late April.
Indonesia has unveiled its new national energy plan, projecting an increase of 69.5 GW in electricity capacity over ten years, largely funded by independent producers, to address rapidly rising domestic demand.
French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher condemns the parliamentary moratorium on new renewable energy installations, warning of the potential loss of 150,000 industrial jobs and increased energy dependence on foreign countries.