{
  "id": 12370408,
  "title": "Energieversorgung: Wegen Tankrabatt und Niedrigwasser: Ersten Tankstellen geht der Sprit aus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/energieversorgung-wegen-tankrabatt-und-niedrigwasser-ersten-12370408",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-06T11:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/spritpreise-drohen-benzin-und-diesel-engpaesse-an-den-zapfsaeulen/100260058.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "A tank rebate and low water have led to the first gas stations running out of fuel. The unusual demand surge is hitting a supply chain struggling due to low water levels on the Rhine. Several stations in cities like Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Frankfurt, and Aschaffenburg have been caught without fuel since the beginning of the month. The temporary reduction in energy tax on gasoline and diesel, effective since October 1st, amounts to about 17 cents per liter. Prices dropped significantly from the start, prompting many drivers to fill up their tanks more than usual. However, it's not the quantity of fuel that's causing the issue, but the supply chain. The club of fuel stations' representatives highlights a problem with the rhythm of supply, which faces a high demand. Economists warned that high prices usually dampen demand, but when prices are lowered, part of this scarcity signal disappears, leading to increased consumption. The supply amounts were based on average consumption, and since more fuel was pumped in recent days, some stations ran out before the next regular delivery arrived. The problem is exacerbated by the low water on the Rhine, which limits the Rhine navigation's capacity to transport gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and aviation fuel. As a result, it becomes harder to move large quantities from refineries to storage tanks and then to customers. Trucks can only load a fraction of what ships can, and the shortage of capacity is significant. For the Middle Rhine, ships can currently only carry around 20-25 percent of their maximum load. This has been reported by Aral, confirming temporary supply restrictions across the network of roughly 2400 stations. The issues are either already resolved or will be quickly resolved. Low water also reduces the capacity of inland waterway transport significantly. The Federal Association of Inland Waterway Transport informs that canals can only load a fraction of their maximum capacity. At the Lower Rhine, it is limited to around 30 percent. Ships can only take a quarter of their usual load, requiring four trips for the same distance. Despite the limited capacity, it cannot be easily shifted to other transport modes. A 110-meter long inland waterway vessel carries roughly what 150 trucks or 188 tanker trucks would. However, additional tanker trucks, drivers, and engines are only available in limited quantities. The Central Association of Fuel Stations' spokesman, Ziegner, believes this issue will remain limited to a few cases. Shell also attributes its current restrictions to the Rhine low water, partially switching to diesel engines, lorries, and pipelines at its Wesseling refinery. Ziegner attributes the temporary empty stations to the extraordinary demand and the supply difficulties caused by the low water.",
  "summary": "An einzelnen Tankstellen im Rheinland sind Diesel und Benzin zeitweise ausgegangen. Das Niedrigwasser am Rhein trifft auf hohe Nachfrage – und bringt die Versorgungsketten unter Druck.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tank rebate and low water cause first fuel shortages at gas stations",
    "Low water on Rhine limits transport capacity for fuel distribution",
    "Supply chain issues and reduced tax lead to increased fuel consumption"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Energieversorgung: Wegen Tankrabatt und Niedrigwasser: Ersten Tankstellen geht der Sprit aus",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/energieversorgung-wegen-tankrabatt-und-niedrigwasser-ersten",
        "published": "2026-10-06T09:41:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}