German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has demanded measures to ensure fuel supply security in response to warnings of a potential kerosene shortage in Germany as a consequence of the Iran war. "We must take the warnings about kerosene scarcity very seriously," Klingbeil told Der Spiegel according to an advance release on Saturday. "For me, it is clear: we should not only address the price problem, but must always keep supply security in focus."
The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, recently warned that jet fuel could become scarce in Europe as early as May. Federal Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said on Thursday that there is currently no kerosene shortage in Germany, and that jet fuel is also produced in German refineries. The Petroleum Industry Association Fuels and Energy stated that there are currently no supply bottlenecks, but the situation must be reassessed "permanently."
Finance Minister Klingbeil fears prolonged effects from the Iran war. "We are in a situation that is similarly challenging as the energy crisis following Russia's attack on Ukraine," he told Der Spiegel on his return flight from Washington, where he had attended the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. "The consultations showed me once again that this crisis is bigger and more persistent than many believe."
Klingbeil therefore emphasized: "We must make the country more resilient, less dependent on fossil energy imports." The Iran war shows that this is a central question for the country. "That is why we are pushing to further advance the expansion of renewable energies and are accelerating grid expansion."
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