Energy ministry warns gas station owners of license withdrawal

The Algerian energy ministry Sunday gave an instruction to gas station owners in the province of Tebessa (east of Algiers) to respect countersmuggling measures and present a register to energy departments to check it.

The number of gas stations in Tebessa is estimated at 54. Of them, 44 are private stations.

Their owners will have to mark cars registration number and brand. Car drivers who come to the same station ten times per day will not be allowed to take more gas on the same day.

A special commission will keep watch on gas stations and will close gas stations or withdraw license from their owners if they do not respect those rules.

Gas station owners will also have to keep working from 5 am until 10 pm. They are ordered to take off iron gates as they prevent the commission’s members from keeping watch on them.

The instruction warned the owners of closing their stations for 3 months if they do not apply the new rules within 8 days.

This comes as gas smuggling is on the rise and endangers Algeria’s national economy. Gas station workers help smugglers who have become “barons” and have control on specialized smuggling network.