UK Government Excludes Oil Industry From Competition Act Amid Fuel Crisis

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2021) The Department for business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom decided to temporarily exclude the oil industry form the Competition Act 1998 in order to minimize disruptions in the supply of fuel to gas stations.

The United Kingdom has been seeing a goods and fuel shortage amid a lack of truck drivers.

"Businesses Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has this evening agreed to implement a measure to temporarily exempt (fuel) industry from the Competition Act 1998 for the purpose of sharing information and optimising supply," the department said in a statement.

The Competition Act 1998 protects competition and prevents the abuse of dominant market position.

Kwarteng met with a number of senior officials from the fuel industry and discussed the problems caused by pressure on the supply chain and surges in local demand.

The statement notes that The Downstream Oil Protocol, which is the official name of the exemption, will allow the UK government to work with fuel producers, suppliers, carriers and sellers to minimize supply disruptions.

"While there has always been and continues to be plenty of fuel at refineries and terminals, we are aware that there have been some issues with supply chains. This is why we will enact the Downstream Oil Protocol to ensure industry can share vital information and work together more effectively to ensure disruption is minimised," Kwarteng said.

On September 23, energy company British Petroleum announced that tens of forecourts in its 1,200-strong network were experiencing fuel shortages, while Tesco and Esso said some of their sites were also affected.

On Saturday, the country's Department for Transport announced it would introduce over 10,000 temporary visas to truck drivers and poultry workers to solve the issue with the supply chain.