Fuel scarcity hits seven Bolivian capitals; diesel supply remains critical

Bolivia is grappling with a widespread fuel crisis, particularly affecting diesel supply, with seven capital cities reporting significant shortages. La Paz and Cochabamba are experiencing the most acute problems, characterized by lengthy queues of vehicles and service stations rapidly depleting their supplies.

Transport workers are forced to wait for hours, sometimes days, to refuel their vehicles. While the state oil company, YPFB, asserts that it has adequate fuel reserves at its plants, it identifies distribution logistics as the main bottleneck. For consumers, however, the distinction is moot; if fuel does not reach the pumps, the scarcity is a tangible daily reality.

In La Paz, the situation is particularly sensitive due to reliance on fuel deliveries to the Senkata plant and complex access routes. Drivers in La Paz and El Alto have reported waiting for days. Social media shows queues in various neighborhoods, indicating the widespread nature of the problem. August saw a resurgence of the crisis with an increased number of stranded vehicles, despite YPFB's assurances of sufficient product for normalization.

Cochabamba's main avenues are also clogged with long lines of buses, trucks, and private cars. This highlights a key aspect of the crisis: improved dispatch does not always translate to immediate availability at service stations. In Oruro, the issue is the irregular supply of diesel, a fuel critical for the mining, agricultural, and transport sectors, meaning any reduction directly impacts these high-demand industries.

Potosí has seen intensified controls by YPFB and the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) on service stations. Authorities reported detecting 55 vehicles with irregular or repeated refueling and 16 with system issues, alongside seven suspected of using cloned plates. Despite these measures, diesel shortages remain noticeable. Chuquisaca experiences a relatively more stable situation but is not entirely immune to the crisis.