South Africa Energy Fund to provide emergency jet fuel for Joburg

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South Africa Energy Fund to provide emergency jet fuel for Joburg

10:06 CAT | 09 May 2022

Running low – the airport is currently operating on 3.5 days' worth of available stock, compared to 12.3 in January.[ Image: Supplied]

South Africa’s state-controlled Central Energy Fund is working on providing an additional 1.5 million litres of jet fuel for Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport in the event of further supply shortages, the head of the airport operator said on Monday.

Last month, the oil industry announced a jet fuel shortage at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, one of Africa’s busiest, and linked it to damage from devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal province that displaced thousands and caused at least R10 billion ( 633 USD). million) of damage to infrastructure. Read more

“While overall stock levels are stable, some suppliers affected by the declared force majeure are still unable to obtain the volumes of jet fuel they need,” Mbumi Mpofu, CEO of Airports South Africa, said at a press conference.

As a result, the Central Energy Fund will implement available legislative measures to ensure energy security and “work to save approximately 1.5 million liters of jet fuel if the mismatch between supply and demand is not mitigated,” Mpofu added.

She said the initial shortage forced two international airlines to cancel 15 flights in total, while some airlines had to change course and stop for fuel in Durban and even Windhoek, Namibia, a costly measure.

Those airlines, which Mpofu did not want to name, resumed flights.

As a result of these flights being canceled, the ACSA lost about 1.5 million rand ($93,000) in passenger-generated fees and hundreds of thousands of rand in lost landing fees, Mpofu said.

Nearly 140 sections of the state logistics group Transnet’s freight railroad sections on the road to Johannesburg were damaged during floods in April. Of the 67 railroad tankers en route to OR Tambo International Airport at the time, only 11 arrived, with 56 remaining in the rear, the US space agency said in April.

Mpofu said Monday that Transcent has confirmed that rail repairs will likely be fully completed by October 30 when the two rail lines from Durban are commissioned.

In the meantime, 50% of the railway will be restored and repaired by June 9.

An additional shipment of 20 million liters of jet fuel has arrived at the port of Durban and will be pumped to the South African National Petroleum Refineries Corporation (NATRIF) from this evening, after which it will be transported to Johannesburg Airport.

Mpofu said the airport is currently running on 3.5 days of available stock, compared to an average of 12.3, 11.1 and 5.2 days in January, February and March.

Source: Reuters