Bojan Kumer, Slovenia’s Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy, announced several measures on Thursday in response to the energy challenges following the war in the Middle East.
The government reduced excise duties on 9 March to limit the price increase of regulated petroleum products. Furthermore, as the Minister said, additional stocks will be released from mandatory reserves in the coming days to ease the supply of petroleum products.
He added that Slovenia is fully dependent on imports, mainly through the Port of Koper and Mediterranean routes. Due to the situation in oil markets, demand has risen, including from neighbouring countries, where prices are higher. As a result, the main risk today is logistical bottlenecks at individual petrol stations. The minister also said that new measures may be introduced in the coming days. At the same time, he stressed that the reliability of supply is not at risk.
Europe’s gas supply is more diversified than in 2022
Minister Kumer also spoke to reporters about the gas supply, noting that Europe’s gas supply is now more diversified and therefore less exposed than it was in 2022. Slovenia recently signed a contract with Algeria and increased import capacity from Italy and Croatia.
According to the minister, the biggest medium-term risk is filling European gas storages before next winter. “On 11 March 11, storages in the EU were approximately 29 per cent full, and in Austria, which is particularly important for Slovenia, about 36 per cent. By 1 November, facilities must be filled to at least 90 per cent. If this does not happen in time, it will very likely affect gas prices and, consequently, electricity prices. Slovenia will therefore actively participate in shaping European solutions, focusing in the coming weeks on gas supply, storage facilities, and measures to respond to possible further price pressures,” he said.
Greece recently announced a price cap on fuel products, and other countries in the region have also introduced various measures.