Tunisia’s Domestic Gas Shortage Worsens Amid Intensifying Cold Wave

Watan-Consumer protection officials and traders in the Tunisian market have confirmed the ongoing crisis of household gas cylinders in the country, amid expectations of a new cold wave arriving this week. In early January, Tunisia announced it had secured more than 22,000 tons of household gas from Algeria to meet the rising consumption needs due to the cold wave experienced during the winter season.

Despite the arrival of ships loaded with Algerian gas, the crisis in obtaining gas cylinders continues to escalate. Social media users are sharing videos of long queues to obtain gas, while others post inquiries about where these cylinders are sold. In mid-January, the country faced a severe cold wave, during which temperatures dropped to zero and below in areas that experienced snowfall, stretching from Kasserine in the south to Tabarka in the north on the Tunisian-Algerian border.

The Director General of the National Petroleum Distribution Company “Agil,” Khaled Beltin, stated last Wednesday to the Tunisian News Agency that three ships loaded with liquefied gas would dock consecutively this week at Tunisian commercial ports.

Difficult Situation in Various Regions

Mohamed Mneif, head of the Chamber of Household Gas Cylinder Suppliers affiliated with the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts, considered that “the crisis is more severe in some parts of the country than others.” He added in statements to Anadolu Agency that “there are areas where the crisis has eased, and there are areas where the situation remains difficult, such as Sousse (east), Nabeul (northeast), Hammamet, and Greater Tunis (the governorates of Tunis, Ben Arous, Ariana, and Manouba).”

Mneif continued: “In Greater Tunis, the situation is difficult, and distribution is only carried out in the presence of security forces due to increased demand and to avoid any issues with residents.” He explained that “what made the situation difficult is that one of the gas cylinder filling centers designated for use in the port of Rades (southern suburb of the capital) experienced a malfunction… It produces 35,000 cylinders per day, and with the cold wave and increased consumption, the crisis occurred.”

He said: “When a ship is delayed at a specific center for filling gas cylinders, a production and filling crisis arises… During this period, we need 180,000 to 200,000 gas cylinders per day, and when 35,000 cylinders are missing, it is a significant number.” Mneif added: “At the filling center in Rades, there is a long wait for trucks to fill cylinders, averaging 75,000 bottles daily… Getting out of this crisis requires some time and some warmth.”

Cold Wave Doubles the Crisis of Household Gas Cylinder Shortage

Lotfi Riahi, head of the Consumer Guidance Organization (independent), said that “the problem is that the unavailability of gas cylinders came at a time characterized by cold weather and high demand… and we do not have a strategic stockpile.” He added to Anadolu Agency: “The shortage was avoided by bringing three gas ships to three regions in the north, center, and south, but the crisis is that demand exceeds supply, and there are lines of trucks waiting to be supplied and lines of people waiting for gas bottles, so the crisis exists.”

According to Riahi’s estimates: “The crisis will be resolved in the coming weeks in light of the ships coming from Algeria, knowing that the weather is cold, especially in the north, where gas usage increases.” For her part, Thuraya Tabassi, vice president of the Tunisian Organization for Consumer Defense, said: “The crisis intensified in the week before last, despite the country having three stations for filling gas cylinders… Bizerte station, Ghannouch Gabes station (southeast), and Rades station.”

Tabassi added: “Our regional offices have observed that Tunisians are experiencing hardship and suffering in searching for a gas cylinder to face the cold wave.” She continued that “one of the main reasons for this is the malfunction of a ship in the port of Rades and the malfunction of the filling station in Bizerte, in addition to the high usage of gas cylinders by Tunisians during peak periods, with the cold wave and difficult weather conditions leading to intensive use of household gas.”