France: diesel shortages at up to 17% of stations, almost all TotalEnergies

The French government’s official fuel availability dashboard (prix-carburants.gouv.fr), checked today, shows 11% of stations nationwide with a shortage of at least one fuel — a rate that rises to 17% in Pays de la Loire and 16% in Grand Est, and reaches 12% in Brittany and Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 11% in Occitanie, in Île-de-France and in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie are exactly the entry corridor into France from the Iberian Peninsula — motorways A63, A10, A64 and A20. This is the route taken by drivers heading up from the Iberian Peninsula towards central and northern Europe.

A problem almost entirely confined to TotalEnergies

The cause is not a national fuel shortage. Deputy Energy Minister Maud Bregeon confirmed publicly that “there is no risk of shortage” and that 90% of stations have no supply difficulty at all — in other words, the problem is concentrated in the remaining 10%, almost all of it (between 86% and 90%, according to trade press) belonging to the TotalEnergies network.

The explanation lies in pricing: TotalEnergies is holding a voluntary cap of €1.99/L for petrol and €2.25/L for diesel, well below the national average (diesel above €2.39/L as of 18 September). The lower price is drawing customers at a pace the brand’s own supply network cannot keep up with.

What changes for cross-border drivers

Fenadismer issued a direct warning to Spanish hauliers to refuel before entering France, particularly those travelling through the southwest of the country. The same recommendation applies to anyone setting off from the Iberian Peninsula:

• Do not rely solely on the TotalEnergies network near the border — check whether stations of other brands (independents, hypermarkets) are on the route.
• Refuel before crossing, especially if the route runs through Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Pays de la Loire or Grand Est.
• As of today, there is no exemption from the weekend driving ban specifically for fuel tanker trucks supplying stations in France — the last exemption of this kind lapsed in May. Do not count on quick relief from the shortage through that route.

The situation is being monitored by the French government and could normalise in the coming weeks; this article will be updated if the shortage rate changes significantly.