IEA Warns of Potential Solar and Diesel Shortages in Europe

JAKARTA - The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol warned of the potential shortage of solar and kerosene or kerosene in Europe in the coming weeks if the situation in the Middle East is not immediately stabilized.

In early April, Birol said Europe had enough kerosene supplies for two months if shipments were completely halted due to the escalation in the Middle East.

"If the situation does not improve, diesel and kerosene can soon become scarce in Europe. Not immediately, but in the next few weeks," Birol said in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, April 11.

The IEA chief reminded that before the conflict in the Middle East, Europe received most of its solar and kerosene supplies from refineries in the region, but many fuel depots have been empty in recent weeks.

"If global solar and kerosene production do not recover soon, the situation could become critical for some European countries in May," Birol added.

Given the high price of fuel, Germany should consider implementing speed limits on highways, he added. He also said Germany "made a strategic mistake by closing its nuclear power plants."

"But that's the way it is and building a large nuclear plant like before will take a long time and cost a lot of money. Instead, Germany can consider using small modular reactors," Birol said.

In 2011, the German government, then led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, decided to completely stop using nuclear power by 2022, citing the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.

In 2022, only three nuclear power plants are still operating, namely Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2, and Emsland. Their operations were extended until mid-April 2023 due to the interruption of gas supplies from Russia, after which they were permanently closed.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday (7/4) evening, US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a two-week bilateral ceasefire with Iran.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday (8/4) stated that the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20 percent of global supplies of oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas (LNG), will be reopened.