According to the Estonian Stockpiling Agency (ESPA), the two-week strike started by Finnish trade unions on Monday will not affect Estonia’s supply of liquid fuels. The commercial stocks of Estonian fuel companies remain at the average level for the year and deliveries are taking place as normal.
As required by law, ESPA, in cooperation with sellers of fuel, continuously analyses the country’s fuel supply. Sellers of fuel have an obligation to share the data needed by the stockpiling agency to assess the market situation.
As at the last day of February this year, fuel companies had a total of 54 days’ commercial stocks of petrol and 29 days’ commercial stocks of diesel.
According to Priit Enok, member of the board of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency, the level of commercial stocks has remained stable in recent years.
‘On average, our sellers of fuel always have two months’ supply of petrol and one month’s supply of diesel at their terminals and filling stations. The commercial stock of aviation fuel is also enough to last for about a month. The parties in the Estonian fuel market are acting very responsibly, and maintaining significant stocks reduces the risks of supply disruptions.
Motor fuels imported into Estonia come mainly from Lithuanian and Finnish refineries, and the stockpiling agency is not aware of any supply disruptions in the import of fuel,’ Enok said.
In addition to the commercial stocks held by companies, the country has a strategic fuel stock of three months’ consumption of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel. The national fuel stockpile is intended to be used in the event that Estonian fuel companies face supply difficulties. Since the establishment of the fuel reserve twenty years ago, Estonia has not experienced severe enough supply shortages at the national level that would have made it necessary to call on the national reserve to overcome them.
Every day, Estonian vehicles and machinery consume an average of 2.7 million litres of diesel, 0.75 million litres of petrol, and 0.2 million litres of aviation fuel. It takes 50 cargo trains with tank wagons to transport this amount of fuel.
The state-owned Estonian Stockpiling Agency is responsible for stockpiling, storing, and organising the utilisation of essential goods needed by the Estonian population in emergencies.