Been spending time on TOD reading - getting a little more serious in Scotland. The Forties field is shut down which is about 1/2 of the UK total production. Amazing 1,200 workers could shut down something of series national interest.
LABOUR PLAN TO RATION PETROL
express.co.uk
Motorist queue for petrol
Sunday April 27,2008
By Jason Groves and Tracey Boles
MOTORISTS will face petrol rationing within days if the oil refinery strike causes forecourt shortages, the Government warned last night.
Amid signs of growing ministerial alarm over the dispute at the Grangemouth refinery, Business Secretary John Hutton said ministers “will not hesitate” to bring in emergency rationing if needed.
Mr Hutton insisted Britain had enough fuel to meet normal demand, provided motorists do not panic-buy as they did during the fuel protests eight years ago.
But with experts warning it could take three weeks before fuel supplies return to normal, he acknowledged that panic-buying had already started in parts of the country.
People should accept that they will probably be rationed to an amount of petrol to conserve supplies
Pat Watters, of the AA
Mr Hutton said contingency plans, which could be introduced within days if the crisis escalates, include rationing of petrol and diesel for all but the emergency services.
His warning came as BP announced it would shut down a North Sea pipeline that supplies 30 per cent of Britain’s daily oil output when the strike begins at 6am today. As long queues were reported at some filling stations, Shadow Business Secretary Alan Duncan said the Government had been caught napping by the dispute.
“Instead of talking about rationing, John Hutton should be telling us what arrangements he has with the oil companies to respond to any shortfall. The Government are playing catch-up. They do not seem to have appreciated the gravity of this situation quickly enough.”
Pat Watters, of the AA, said: “People should accept that they will probably be rationed to an amount of petrol to conserve supplies. I think there will be some difficulties, despite the assurances. People should not be buying petrol in case they might need it, they should stick to their normal habits.”
Scottish Tourism Minister Jim Mather encouraged people to go for a walk rather than a Sunday drive and to take public transport to attractions.
Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vincent Cable, former chief economist at oil giant Shell, said: “Probably the least helpful thing is to go around saying don’t panic, because everyone then thinks ‘There must be something going on, I’m going to go out and buy’.” He added: “I don’t think there has been contingency planning for this. I don’t think the Government realised there was a major choke point here, with a third of North Sea oil passing through a single installation. Clearly that makes the economy very vulnerable.”
The strike over pensions is expected to cost Britain £50million a day.
The giant Grangemouth plant on the Firth of Forth supplies fuel for petrol stations across Scotland and the North of England. The site also provides power for the pipeline which transports 700,000 barrels of oil a day from the Forties field. Seventy North Sea platforms will close down or reduce production during the two-day strike.
Unite, which represents the 1,300 strikers, said it hoped to have talks with management in the next few days, but refused to rule out further industrial action. The oil and gas industry last night urged the Prime Minister to intervene to prevent damage to the economy.
Malcolm Webb, chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, said: “It is now time for the Government at the highest level to step in and take all the necessary actions to ensure that the country is not held to ransom in this manner.”
Ministers, haunted by the fuel protests of 2000, which almost brought the Government to its knees, are desperate to avoid shortages at the pumps. Mr Hutton urged the two sides to settle their differences, saying there was “no justification for causing this sort of disruption to motorists”.
Last night there were claims that some unscrupulous garages were profiteering from the crisis as petrol prices in London hit 111.9p a litre while in Scotland they soared to 129.9p – a massive £5.85 a gallon. |
