Fuel supplies in Corsica are facing disruption as independent distributors blocked petroleum depots in Ajaccio and Lucciana on Thursday, March 26, 2026, protesting rising pump prices. The action highlights the challenges facing smaller fuel retailers as they navigate a volatile global energy market.
The blockades come amid broader international instability, particularly in the Middle East, which is directly impacting the cost of gasoline and diesel. Local actors are finding it increasingly difficult to absorb these rising costs, according to reports.
Distributors are specifically alleging an imbalance in purchasing conditions imposed by TotalEnergies. They claim that different networks are not treated equally, disproportionately impacting smaller, independent businesses.
Approximately twenty fuel distributors are currently blocking the depot in Ajaccio. “We are blocking the depot to save our companies and our jobs, for prices that are acceptable for all Corsicans,” stated Frédéric Sauli, a fuel distributor in Porto-Vecchio. “Today Total is applying a price shield throughout France and in Corsica, we cannot compete with a large international group, we are 30 cents above, we cannot fight.”
Threat of Widespread Station Closures
Industry representatives are warning of potential consequences if the blockades continue or if their concerns are not addressed. They cite the threat of a cascade of station closures, potentially impacting hundreds of jobs. A longer-term concern is increased market concentration, which could reduce competition on the island.
As of Thursday morning, many motorists were queuing at gas stations to secure fuel, and some stations in central Corsica had already run out of supply.
The French government announced Thursday morning that it would unveil aid measures for “heavy rollers” in the coming days to offset the increase in fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East.
Sauli clarified that the distributors are not asking TotalEnergies to lower prices, but rather that TotalEnergies, as a shareholder of Dépôts pétroliers de la Corse (DPLC), “could perhaps resell the fuel at the capped price to our supplier and then the supplier could resell it to us.”
A meeting with the Corsican prefect, originally scheduled before the blockades began, is set for Friday evening.
In November 2025, the French Competition Authority fined TotalEnergies Marketing France, two Rubis group companies, and EG Retail a total of €187.5 million – including €115.8 million for TotalEnergies – for collusion in the distribution of fuel in Corsica. The Authority accused them of reaching a written agreement guaranteeing them better access conditions to Corsican petroleum depots than their competitors. TotalEnergies and the Rubis group indicated they would appeal the decision.
Early Thursday afternoon, ambulance drivers, taxi drivers, and construction workers joined the protest at the Ajaccio petroleum depots. Paul-André Colombani, a member of the French National Assembly representing the second district of Southern Corsica, was expected to arrive on the scene at 3:30 p.m.
Discussions with Colombani suggest that the meeting with the Corsican state representative, Éric Jalon, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. On Friday, March 27, could be moved forward. The blockade remains in effect as of this report.
