Sao Tome Runs Out of Petrol, Awaits US$17 Million Cargo
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Two-island Portuguese-speaking nation in the Gulf of Guinea, west of Gabon.
- —What happened Petrol and cooking kerosene ran out; the finance minister confirmed it Tuesday.
- —The cause Minister blames cash gap after election, salary and holiday-bonus bills.
- —The numbers US$17 million raised for petrol and diesel, due within a week.
- —What it means for you Taxis, motorbikes and fishing boats run short; a US advisory warns travellers.
- —Still open No ship, supplier or kerosene delivery date has been named.
São Tomé and Príncipe says it lacked the cash to import fuel after paying for the 27 September election.
São Tomé and Príncipe has run out of petrol and cooking kerosene, the finance minister confirmed on Tuesday, 6 October. The São Tomé fuel shortage hits taxi drivers and fishermen, and the US government already warns travellers to expect such gaps.
Minister Gareth Guadalupe said US$17 million (about 373 million dobras) will buy petrol and diesel due within a week. Kerosene and jet fuel are not included, because he said both are scarce on world markets.
What the Minister Said
Guadalupe is Minister of State for Economy and Finance in the government of Prime Minister Américo Ramos, in office since January 2025. He spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, according to Forbes África Lusófona, a business magazine covering Portuguese-speaking Africa.
He announced that the country had run out of petrol “and also of cooking kerosene,” the local news site Téla Nón reported. Taxi drivers, motorbike riders, fishermen and government vehicles are the main petrol users, the site noted.
Residents say pumps began running dry on Thursday, 1 October, Forbes África Lusófona reported. RTP África, the Africa service of Portugal’s public broadcaster, said the islands had gone about a week without petrol.
Why the Money Ran Out
Guadalupe blamed a lack of cash to pay suppliers in time. “Any planning without money is no more than an academic exercise,” he said, warning that world prices keep rising.
He said public finances were stretched by last-minute spending to stage the general election on Sunday, 27 September. The ministry also had to find money for civil-service salaries and holiday bonuses in the same weeks.
Fuel is not supplied until enough money for the import is in hand, the minister explained. He called the US$17 million bill “a significant amount” with “prohibitive costs” for the economy.
ENCO, a local firm that imports and sells fuel, lists Portugal’s Galp Energia and Angola’s state oil company Sonangol as partners. No statement on the shortage appeared on its website by Thursday morning.
The squeeze lands during coalition talks after the 27 September vote. The opposition Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP) won 24 of 55 seats, the Constitutional Court confirmed.
Ramos’s party, Independent Democratic Action (ADI), won 23. Téla Nón reported on Thursday that ADI had sealed a pact with the six-seat MCI-PS/PUN coalition for a 29-seat majority.
Prices Held Down by Subsidy
The last price change reported by STP-Press, the state news agency, took effect on Wednesday, 1 April. Petrol rose to 31 dobras a litre (about US$1.41) and diesel to 30 dobras (about US$1.37).
Household kerosene stayed at 19 dobras a litre (about US$0.87). The minister said then that purchase costs had jumped 55% for petrol and 105% for diesel, and the state would absorb 90%.
Ramos blamed the Middle East crisis around the Strait of Hormuz. Guadalupe also promised there would be no break in supply, the news site Jornal Tropical reported.
On Tuesday he said the state is still carrying the cost instead of passing it to consumers. “If things continue like this, at some point the state has to stop subsidising,” he said.
At 31 dobras a litre, São Tomé petrol costs about US$5.35 a gallon. That is roughly US$1 more than the US average of US$4.35 on Monday, 5 October, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Conversions use the Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe’s buying rate for Thursday, 8 October 2026: 21.92 dobras per US$1.
Power Cuts and a Diesel-Run Grid
EMAE, the state water and power utility, generated about 94% of its electricity from diesel between April and June, its report shows. It burned about 7.1 million litres in those three months, costing 239 million dobras (about US$10.9 million).
The new US$17 million order is worth roughly one and a half times that quarterly diesel bill. Only 22.5 megawatts of generating power was available, against 35.6 megawatts installed.
The utility said supply stabilised only late in the second quarter, after months of blackouts. Those began when an independent power producer halted supply in August 2025.
Téla Nón noted that families often burn kerosene for light on nights when the utility cuts power. The minister did not say diesel had run out, but the new order includes it.
The government is counting on an 11-megawatt solar park at Água Casada, in Lobata district, with 7 megawatts of battery storage. Infrastructure Minister Nelson Cardoso said in late August that it would open within three months, Téla Nón reported.
What It Means for US Readers
The US State Department’s travel advisory for the country, issued on Friday, 4 September, is at Level 2 for health risks. It already says fuel shortages for both diesel and gasoline may occur and tells travellers to plan accordingly.
US citizens are served by the US Embassy in Luanda, Angola, the advisory page shows. Visitors who rely on taxis or rental cars should expect the São Tomé fuel shortage to last until the new import lands.
There is also a US connection on the grid. EMAE’s report says a 4-megawatt plant it calls the Voice of America plant, after the US government broadcaster, has joined the network.
That plant runs on four generators from NYSE-listed Caterpillar and burned about 336,000 litres of diesel in June alone, EMAE said.
What Is Not Known
The government has not named the supplier, the ship or the arrival date for the US$17 million order. It is unclear when kerosene and jet fuel will next be bought, or whether flights face any limits.
Officials have not published diesel stock levels at EMAE’s plants. No statement from ENCO or EMAE, and no notice on the government portal, could be found by Thursday morning.
It is not known how long the São Tomé fuel shortage will last, or whether pump prices will rise.
What Comes Next
If the minister’s timeline holds, petrol and diesel should arrive around Tuesday, 13 October. Local reports on Thursday showed that President Carlos Vila Nova had yet to name a prime minister.
A delivery would ease the São Tomé fuel shortage at the pumps but would not end the energy crisis. EMAE ties that crisis to ageing generators and near-total reliance on imported diesel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has São Tomé run out of petrol?
The finance minister says the state lacked cash to pay for imports after election, salary and holiday-bonus costs. Rising world prices added to the strain.
When will new fuel arrive?
The minister said on Tuesday, 6 October, that petrol and diesel worth US$17 million should arrive within about a week. No ship or exact date has been named.
How much does fuel cost in São Tomé?
Petrol costs 31 dobras a litre (about US$1.41) and diesel 30 dobras (about US$1.37), after the last reported change on 1 April. Household kerosene costs 19 dobras (about US$0.87).
Does the shortage affect electricity?
Almost all power comes from diesel generators run by the state utility EMAE. Diesel was not reported as exhausted, but families use kerosene for light during blackouts.
What does the US government tell travellers?
The State Department rates the country at Level 2, exercise increased caution, citing health risks. It warns that diesel and gasoline shortages may occur.
Sources: Téla Nón, minister on the fuel rupture (7 October); RTP África; Forbes África Lusófona; EMAE, interim report for the second quarter of 2026; ENCO; STP-Press (31 March); Jornal Tropical (2 April); Téla Nón, solar projects (28 August); Téla Nón, election result (6 October); Téla Nón, ADI pact (8 October); Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe; US State Department travel advisory; US Energy Information Administration (all accessed 8 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief