Gasoline shortages could get worse in Central Mexico

Gasoline shortages continue in at least 13 states, resulting in long line-ups at gas stations, panic buying and unrest among consumers as Pemex has been unable to resolve supply problems.

The affected states are Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Zacatecas, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Morelos, Jalisco, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Durango and San Luis Potosí.

It was in the latter that disgruntled citizens took to protesting, blocking the main highways into the capital city as well as its main streets.

Government officials posted on Twitter that the gasoline shortages were caused by consumers and panic buying, a situation that was only worsened by the blockades, they added.

While that may have been true in San Luis Potosí, it wasn’t the case elsewhere in the country, where Pemex officials have tried to justify the situation in several ways.

In Jalisco, the December vacation break was cited as the main reason for a 50% surge in demand for gasoline and diesel.

Production was also affected by a revision and overhaul of obsolete equipment in some refineries, the oil company said, along with pipeline problems.

The latter forced the company to distribute fuel from its Tuxpan, Veracruz, plant by land, which meant it was unable to meet demand in the central region of Mexico.

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Source-http://mexiconewsdaily.com/