OMV petrol stations may close in Hungary

The Austrian OMV refinery in Schwechat has been shut down for routine maintenance. However, it was reportedly unable to restart in time. This could lead to supply problems or even the closure of petrol stations.

Problems at the OMV plant

The Austrian oil company operates the largest refinery in Central Europe in Schwechat. The plant was shut down for routine maintenance in early April. Maintenance was due to be completed on 31 May. Production was then scheduled to restart on 10 June, according to vg.hu. However, the restart was not successful for technical reasons.

OMV has not yet officially informed Mol and other partners about the problem.

Products manufactured at OMV’s refinery in Schwechat are sold in Austria and the Central and Eastern European region.

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Supply problems in Hungary

Austria would export 30 kilotonnes of petrol and 50 kilotonnes of diesel per month to Hungary.

This means that OMV supplies 17-19 percent of the domestic petrol market and 13-15 percent of the diesel market. The Austrians operate 200 wells in Hungary. So OMV could easily face supply problems.

In Hungary, retail fuel prices have been capped at HUF 480 (EUR 1.22).

As both petrol and diesel are significantly more expensive across Europe, foreign suppliers are not interested in serving the Hungarian market. This effect is already being felt, napi.hu reports. OMV was the only one to maintain imports of products into the country.

The Hungarian government’s dual fuel price decree is helping to curb petrol tourism. However, during the school holidays and the summer tourist season, petrol station traffic increases significantly. Mol has therefore postponed the mandatory maintenance work.

However, from August, production at the Mol refinery in Százhalombatta will be cut by a third.

It is not only Hungary that is in trouble, but also the neighbouring countries. Supply disruptions have been reported in Slovakia. There are also problems in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria.