November 4 2008

Bolivia: En Bolivia escasean el gas y el gasoil por falta de producción

Long lines of people in the streets with empty bottles of household gas and queues of vehicles at service stations of fuel oil, are now everyday images in the main cities of Bolivia, two and a half years of the nationalization of hydrocarbons.

The rationing encouraged speculation and the black market, with the emergence of, for example, street dealers at prices higher than those specified, in Bolivia the price of fuel is subsidized.

Bolivia: Crisis se agrava en Bolivia

The lack of fuel is being felt ever more strongly in Bolivia, where every day are more people with empty gas bottles and forming long queues at gas stations across the country.

Canada (Alberta): Diesel still in short supply

A shortage of diesel in the province has left many industries suffering with a lack of fuel to have their vehicles up and running.

One industry taking a hit is the busing industry. Kathryn Taylor, a school bus driver says it seems that buses are the lowest on the totem pole. Taylor found this to be frustrating as she went to fill up her bus one day at a gas station and found herself being turned away. “The kids have to get to school, too,” said Taylor.

Dominican Republic: Much talk as 20-hour blackouts punish Dominican Republic

While blackouts as long as 20 hours punish the country, State-owned power companies (CDEEE) vice president Radhamés Segura heads a meeting with the electrical sector’s leaders to seek an end to the crisis.

Northern Ireland: Oil shortage 'worst in 20 years'

Several fuel distributors in Londonderry have said the heating oil shortage over the past week was the worst in almost 20 years. Many firms have been unable to make deliveries because they are running so low on oil.

South Africa: South African Mines Demand Power Shortage Protocols (Update1)

The South African government must put in place protocols to handle power shortages because mining companies were ``soft targets'' during electricity cuts earlier this year, the country's Chamber of Mines said.

``The proposed protocol needs to be approved by Cabinet and supported by appropriate legislation to ensure its enforcement,'' Chamber of Mines President Sipho Nkosi said in a prepared speech distributed in Johannesburg today. ``Among the provisions that need to be included is one that will rank customers in terms of their contribution to the economy.''