Is Luxembourg facing a petrol shortage?

The Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy has officially warned motorists of possible localised disruptions and delays in fuel supplies to petrol stations. In a press release published on Wednesday, the situation on the national petroleum products market was described as “tight”. However, the ministry emphasises that, overall, the country’s energy supply remains reliable.

Luxembourg has traditionally relied on a combined transport network comprising river vessels, trains and lorries. However, in recent weeks, all three links in this chain have faced serious constraints. Firstly, a prolonged drought has led to a drop in water levels in the Rhine and Moselle rivers, which has significantly reduced the volume of fuel that can be safely transported by barge. As a result, suppliers have been forced to quickly alter their routes to ensure the uninterrupted operation of petrol stations.

At the same time, the logistics situation will become even more complicated next week due to the start of maintenance work on the Luxembourg–Wasserbillig–Trier railway line. The closure of this route will temporarily block access to the port of Mertert, which is a key hub for the transport of petroleum products, and this will inevitably increase the burden on other modes of transport. Furthermore, deliveries are being hampered by large-scale forest fires in the High Fens region of Belgium. As noted in the Ministry’s statement, the partial closure of the Albert Canal (Albert Canal) to facilitate emergency services has disrupted barge deliveries to Liège — a key supply point for many Luxembourgish fuel importers. Delays on this route have been reported since Monday.

In response to these challenges, the Ministry of the Economy has stated that it is closely monitoring the situation and has called for greater coordination between all relevant companies and operators involved in the supply chain. Although Luxembourg’s energy security is currently fully guaranteed, the government acknowledges that, given the exceptional circumstances, localised fuel shortages at individual petrol stations cannot be entirely ruled out.