The National Emergency Plan for Fuel (NEP-F) could be put into force as the war with Iran rages on affecting global energy supplies.
Fears are rising British fuel stocks could be hit hard by the war in Iran (Image: Getty)
Soul singing sensation Edwin Starr famously sang “war, huh, yeah, what is it good for? absolutely nothing” and it appears the lyrics of the 1970s anti-Vietnam protest ballad are just as true today as they were then. When it comes to the UK’s fuel and energy supplies, America’s war with the Islamic Republic is certainly doing nothing good for prices, or stocks, of the petrol and diesel which keep Britain moving.
Downing Street has already hosted a number of emergency meetings with oil industry leaders and military figures to discuss the crisis, but if things get worse does the Government have a plan? According to the National Emergency Plan for Fuel (NEP-F), it does, at least in principle.
The US-Israel war against Iran, which started on February 28, has been particularly hard on global oil and gas supplies because the Iranian regime has shut down the nearby Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman leading to the Indian Ocean. The busy shipping waterway usually carries around 20% of the world’s oil and gas, but Iran has kept it closed by threatening to attack tankers which try and make it through the strait, which at one point is only 26 miles wide, just slightly wider than the English Channel.
With war raging and oil and gas supplies under threat, as well as connecting shipping, we look at the 10 points NEP-F might tackle to avoid any fuel shortage nightmare on the horizon. According to the Government website the emergency measures will be activated to protect human life and, as far as possible, property, alleviate suffering, support the continuity of everyday activity and the restoration of disrupted services at the earliest opportunity and uphold the rule of law and democratic process.
Downing Street has been flailing around to try and solve the crisis (Image: Getty)
Here are the 10 point as set out in the NEP-F, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Measures to maintain fuel supply
- Downstream Oil Industry Protocol: When activated, it temporarily exempts industry from the Competition Act 1998 for the purpose of optimising supply in the event of a disruption and allows for information sharing, joint planning and co-ordinated supply action.
- Reserve Tanker Fleet: Government has access to a reserve fleet of fuel tanker vehicles that can be deployed at short notice to provide additional capacity to industry contingency arrangements.
- Reserve Tanker Drivers: Government works with the downstream oil industry, including haulage companies, to maintain a capability within the Armed Forces to make fuel deliveries in the event of a serious disruption to normal deliveries. This work ensures that military personnel could be efficiently and safely deployed.
- Relaxation of drivers’ hours: This is usually in response to a specific incident and would be limited to specific transport operations within a confined time period. This must be requested by industry and can only be approved by Department for Transport (DfT).
- Oil stocks release: The UK is obligated to hold emergency oil stocks. These can be released to provide additional supply. This would only be used in the event of a significant disruption to global supply to calm the market.
The Iran war has been raging since February 28 between Israel and the US and Iran (Image: Getty)
Measures to control supply and demand of fuels
These measures would only be activated in the event of a severe national fuel supply shortage.
- Designated Filling Station scheme: Emergency and critical service vehicles would be given priority access to road fuel from filling stations designated by the relevant Local Resilience Forum (Resilience Partnership in Scotland).
- Bulk Distribution Scheme: Oil companies and fuel distributors can be directed to prioritise the delivery of bulk petroleum products to critical services such as emergency services, utilities and public transport.
- Commercial Distribution Scheme: Oil companies and fuel distributors can be directed to prioritise the supply of road diesel to the commercial vehicles sector to support the operation of key supply chains, such as food and health.
- Maximum Purchase Scheme: This restricts the sale of road fuels at retail filling stations to the public to a maximum amount per visit to ensure that all motorists have access to some fuel. The scheme can also limit the hours in which road fuels can be sold.
- Crude Oil and Imported Product Allocation Scheme: Government can formally allocate crude oil and other imported oil products within the UK.