Australians urged to work from home and drive slower to save fuel

Australians should work from home where possible and drive at slower speeds to limit oil demand during the Middle East conflict, the world’s top energy agency says.

The recommendations come as Australia’s energy minister flags further potential releases from stockpiles after dozens of service stations ran out of fuel.

The International Energy Agency released a series of steps on Friday that would ease the burden of the global oil price spike.

Recognising 45 per cent of the world’s oil demand comes from road transport, the agency urged workers to stay at home where possible and consider public transport if they need to travel.

A reduction of 10km/h for highway speed limits would also cut fuel use, the agency said.

Beyond roads, reducing air travel and shifting away from the use of liquefied natural gas in cooking appliances would help protect vulnerable households.

Dozens of NSW service stations run dry

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen said a “very low percentage” of service stations had run dry but dozens in one jurisdiction have reported having no petrol or diesel.

Figures from NSW showed that of the state’s roughly 2,500 service stations, 42 had no petrol and the number without diesel had risen from 80 to 107.

The service stations were mostly independent operators, Premier Chris Minns said.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the role of those smaller outlets needed to be protected because they were often the ones that put downward pressure on prices to compete against larger rivals.

“When the largest capital cities have price cycles, at the top of the cycles it’s always the independents that are the cheapest,” he said on Friday.

“Australia cannot afford to lose independents as a result of this conflict.”

Unprecedented demand for fuel had placed pressure on supply chains, Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association chief executive Rowan Lee said.

“If service stations are out of a grade of fuel, it will generally only be for a relatively short period of time until that store can be restocked,” he said.

“We would encourage people to buy fuel in the same pattern as they normally would.”

Khoury said the spike in fuel prices had coincided with a 15 per cent rise in roadside assistance call-outs in the past month because of drivers running out of petrol.

Oil prices have soared and global supplies have been cut after Iran’s de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against US-Israeli strikes that began last month.

‘There for a rainy day’

While there was plenty of fuel available to get through April, releasing additional amounts from the national reserve was under consideration, the energy minister said.

“Fuel suppliers will continue and are locked in and will continue to arrive,” Bowen said.

“We will release more of the strategic fuel reserve if we have to, but only if we have to.

“It’s there for a rainy day.”

But beyond late April, the situation was more uncertain and dependent on how international events panned out, Bowen added.

Deputy Opposition leader Jane Hume said she was pleased a fuel co-ordinator had been appointed to oversee supply problems, but wants more action.

State and federal governments on Thursday appointed former Australian Energy Regulator boss Anthea Harris to oversee a fuel-supply task force.

“The fuel tsar would be entirely unnecessary if Chris Bowen was doing his job from day one,” Hume said.

“We need to secure the supplies, certainly make sure that the distribution networks are working in every state.”

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