A decision affecting license holders in the fuel market was published in the Official Gazette and has come into force. After the major earthquake disaster in Turkey, a state of emergency (OHAL) was declared. For the provinces covered by the state of emergency, obligations specified in the relevant regulations have been postponed from February 6 until the end of the OHAL period.
The new issue of the Official Gazette includes the board decision on the matter issued by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK). According to the decision, for provinces affected by the earthquake and included in the OHAL scope, all time-bound obligations of license holders listed under the Petroleum Market Licensing Regulation and the Petroleum Market Law No. 5015 and its secondary legislation have been deferred.
EFFECTIVE FROM FEBRUARY 6
According to the decision published by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority in the Official Gazette, obligations for individuals and entities in the affected regions have been postponed as of February 6, 2023.
In a related decision, EPDK referenced the provision in Article of the Natural Gas Market Law No. 4646 that allows existing transmission and distribution networks to be supplied with LNG or CNG during emergencies or force majeure. License holders conducting LNG and CNG activities are obliged to meet the requests of transmission and distribution companies in such circumstances. Under this provision, in OHAL regions, distribution companies may prioritize critical facilities such as hospitals, bakeries and soup kitchens when procuring services from LNG and CNG license holders; these measures may be applied as of February 6.
VALID FOR THE DURATION OF OHAL
For fuel stations affected by the earthquake, postponement will be applied from February 6 until the end of the state of emergency, provided that the distributor license holders are notified to EPDK and procedures and principles are followed. Within this scope, restrictions on fuel deliveries by distributor and dealership license holders are also lifted from February 6 until the end of the OHAL period.
Following the earthquake disaster, numerous new decisions have been taken and measures continue to be implemented to address the region’s urgent needs and support recovery. The decision took effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette.