Government Moves to Establish More WIOC Gas Stations Amid Fuel Supply Concerns

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is moving to strengthen the country’s fuel distribution network, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne announcing plans for the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) to invest in additional fuel storage and retail facilities.

In a statement posted on social media, Browne said he has directed WIOC to invest in storage tanks as well as gasoline and diesel pumps, signalling the development of additional fuel outlets.

“New gas stations coming,” Browne wrote.

The Prime Minister said the move is intended to reduce the country’s vulnerability if privately operated service stations collectively shut down in an effort to secure higher margins.

Browne described the existing arrangement among service station operators as an “oligopoly” and said the additional WIOC infrastructure would help protect the country against the possibility of operators “locking down the country” to pressure the Government into increasing their margins.

The proposed expansion would give WIOC additional capacity to provide gasoline and diesel directly to motorists while increasing the company’s fuel storage capabilities.

The announcement signals that the Government is seeking to establish an alternative safeguard against any future disruption to the country’s retail fuel supply.

Details regarding the number of new stations, their proposed locations, the cost of the investment and when construction could begin were not disclosed in Browne’s social media statement.