The Administration of the State Material reserves plans to buy 500,000 liters of diesel fuel additive. Diesel exhaust fluid, also known as DEF or AdBlue, is a liquid used to reduce the amount of air pollution created by diesel engines. Speculators began to buy it out gas stations, resulting in some restricting the sales to a limited extent and only for customers’ own usage. The drop in DEF or AdBlue supplements would negatively affect trucks and buses transport.
Duslo Šaľa, the largest fertilizer manufacturer in Slovakia, is also the largest producer of AdBlue in Europe. Due to the increased gas and energy prices, their costs for fertilizer production rose drastically and they therefore had to reduce production significantly. The head of Duslo has already noticed the panic spreading regarding the shortage of the product.
“We deliver AdBlue to the largest filling stations, where there are already trucks waiting that draw off the entire delivery,” stated Duslo Sala general director Petr Blaha for RTVS.
Meanwhile, the Economy Ministry tasked the State Material Reserves with procuring 500,000 litres of the liquid. “This is to secure the needs of the state and its administration, such as the police for example, that need this fluid to drive,” explained the Economy minister Richard Sulík. According to the Head of State Material Reserves, this stocking of AdBlue can take several weeks and even months.
The oil refining company Slovnaft has already restricted the sales of AdBlue at its gas stations. They allow a maximum of 100 litres per customer. Passenger cars, however, have a very small consumption of AdBlue, therefore the experts do not expect a big shortage.
