"First of all, I want to reassure the French, we are talking about a situation that affects 15% of service stations — 85% of service stations are adequately supplied — and which is connected to a strike in refineries and depots. It has nothing to do with the crisis in Ukraine," the minister told French broadcaster BFMTV on Thursday.
Pannier-Runacher promised the situation would clear up in two to three days, as the government was bringing in supplies from Belgium and ferrying stocks around the country.
"Moreover, we have indeed freed up a few strategic reserves to come more swiftly to the aid of the oil companies," she added.
The minister said that French drivers could fill up normally and did not need to stock up on extra car fuel.
Pannier-Runacher also called on oil producers and striking employees to resolve their stand-off.
The strike affects five out of seven refineries on the French mainland. Workers at one Exxon Mobil plant in the Normandy region have been on strike since September 20. Most TotalEnergies plants have also been at a standstill since September 27. Strikers want pay rises above inflation, and a share of oil windfalls producers have pocketed as a result of the surge in oil prices.
At the same time, the government's 30 cent rebate on gas, applicable from September 1 to October 31, has encouraged drivers to buy more, increasing the gap between supply and demand. The subsequent shortages have caused some gas stations in the north of France to close temporarily while triggering shortages in Paris, forcing some drivers to go to Belgium to fill their tanks, according to local media.