France demands refinery workers as energy strikes continue | – #France #demands #refinery #workers #energy #strikes #continue
PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) – After two weeks of strikes, several French refineries still blocked product supplies, disrupting production and power supplies, while attempts to requisition workers at the Fos refinery sparked clashes with police.
industrial action, in France pension including increasing the age by two years to 64, pension is part of a nationwide movement against changes in the system.
France government has taken steps to order workers at the Fos refinery, which is operated by ExxonMobil ( XOM.N ) subsidiary Esso, to resume operations, government minister Clement Beaune said.
France’s energy ministry said the request is for three workers per shift and is valid for 48 hours if needed.
While BFM TV showed the oil refinery being covered in tear gas, some demonstrators the police throwing objects on the line, after the order of demand, fighting began at the place of Fos.
Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said that gas stations in general national level is well supplied, but in some regions in the south of France supply is strained.
The Ministry of Energy said that since the beginning of March, strategic fuel reserves have been used “purposefully”. The ministry did not elaborate on any shortages, saying strategic reserves are classified information.
The Normandy refinery, operated by oil major TotalEnergies ( TTEF.PA ), will be closed on Tuesday due to a strike, a company spokesman said. pension said that the industrial action against the changes has been extended to the 14th day.
The spokesman added that production interruptions at other sites operated by TotalEnergies remained unchanged.
About 36% of operations at TotalEnergies’ oil refineries and warehouses were on strike Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman said.
On the electricity side, France’s power capacity fell by 15.6 gigawatts (GW) due to strikes at nuclear, thermal and hydroelectric plants, a union official said.
That’s equivalent to 28% of France’s power supply on Tuesday morning, data from grid operator RTE showed. However, France was exporting 1.6 GW to its neighbours, RTE data showed domestic supply was sufficient to meet demand.
A CGT spokesman added that maintenance was blocked at 11 French reactors, including Penly 1, which was found to have stress corrosion cracks this month.
Reporting by Forrest Crellin, America Hernandez, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Benjamin Mallet Editing by David Goodman and Louise Heavens
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2023-03-21 16:37:33
Source – reuters
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