BERN - On Friday the office authorised withdrawals of up to 45,000 cubic metres of diesel, about 45 million litres, from 23 October to 22 November. That is just under 4 percent of the diesel currently in compulsory storage. The immediate cause is delayed pipeline deliveries of crude and finished products after heavy rain in southern France, on top of a market the office has called very tight since the start of the Iran war. Low water on the Rhine has been disrupting Swiss fuel logistics for months. Rail freight has been unreliable as well. When one alternative route fails, the office said, a pinch can appear quickly. Petrol and heating oil are still assured. Jet fuel is a separate problem: compulsory stocks for aviation, opened on 15 October, remain available into early November so that Zurich Airport does not run short.
What an 80 km/h rule would, and would not, do
Schweiz am Wochenende reported on Saturday that the office had already sent a proposal through an internal consultation of federal offices. The office confirmed that consultation to Nau. It said measures in the economic-supply plan are reviewed regularly and updated when needed. A spokesperson said a speed cut, in a severe shortage, would sit alongside withdrawals already under way and add a saving on top. The office would not say how many litres it expects to save, or on what date a decision might come. It does not brief while the internal process is open. The Federal Council, not the office alone, would have to order a lower maximum if voluntary steps were not enough.
The plan's first step is an appeal, not a fine. Drivers would be asked to share cars, switch to trains and buses, and drop non-essential trips. Those tools can be used one at a time or together. Brussels is having the same conversation about diesel and jet fuel, which is why EU refineries are about to sit down with the Commission. For Swiss motorists the practical fact on Monday is narrower: diesel is being taken from the emergency pile until 22 November, and 120 km/h is still the law.