LWFA warns SA’s fuel stocks depleting, leading to fuel shortages

The Liquified Fuels Wholesalers Association (LWFA) has sounded alarm over looming fuel shortages in the country.

The association says that South Africa’s strategic fuel reserves have run dry, and that could create a problem of pumps running dry as well, due to South Africa having moved from being a refining country to an importing country.

Recently, the two Durban oil refineries – Sapref and Genref – closed down. The only remaining crude oil refinery operating is the Natref refinery in Sasolburg.

The LWFA‘s CEO Peter Morgan says being importers of fuel is risky.

“We stand at zero, absolutely nothing. Finished product zero, crude oil, we have about 30-days’ worth of crude oil stock at Saldanha, but from that crude oil tank in Saldanha, there’s one pipeline that goes into the refinery, now that refinery is not refining at the moment. So, we’ve got 30-days crude oil stocks, but we have no refinery that can use it. So, if we have an agreement between the oil merchants and government, on where we’re going to keep this strategic stock, who is going to pay for it was a discussion that should have happened long ago,” explains Morgan.

Video – South Africa faces major fuel price increase: 

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