France has tapped its strategic fuel reserves to resupply petrol stations that have run dry, the government said on Wednesday, amid strikes by workers at refineries and depots that have stunted production and blocked deliveries, reports US News & World Report.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran acknowledged "tensions" but said there was no shortage of fuel stocks at a national level. He urged consumers not to panic-buy petrol.
"We are obviously monitoring very, very closely the situation together with the operators and, here and there, when it was necessary, we have used our strategic stocks to enable the stations to be supplied," Veran told reporters.
A walkout by hard-left CGT trade union members at TotalEnergies has disrupted operations at two refineries and two storage facilities, while two Exxon Mobil refineries have faced similar problems since September 20.
The industrial action has left more than 60% of France's refining capacity offline.
Veran said roughly one in every 10 service stations nationally were experiencing some shortages, but that in the north the figure was closer to one in every three.