According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Estonia was one of the five member states of the IEA whose liquid fuel exports exceeded imports in 2023 and 2024. Calculated in crude oil equivalent, 1.1 tonnes of oil shale oil were exported and 1 tonne of liquid fuels was imported for domestic consumption per every Estonian adult in 2023.
However, being a net exporter has little effect on the security of supply of the Estonian market. The petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel used as motor fuels in Estonia are 100% imported and made either from oil or, increasingly, from environmentally friendly renewable raw materials, rather than from oil shale. Shale oil is, however, a significant alternative fuel in local heat production.
In order to ensure the supply of motor fuels for the residents and companies of Estonia during crises and interruptions in supply, the state owns a strategic liquid fuel stockpile that covers 90 days’ regular consumption.
In addition to the national stockpile, fuel companies operating in Estonia also own considerable commercial stocks of fuel.
The supply of motor fuels has remained very stable in the Republic of Estonia since the mid-1990s and no high-impact market failures leading to the release of the strategic stockpile in Estonia have taken place.
Strategic liquid fuel stocks are energy products (petrol, diesel, aviation fuel) at the disposal or under the control of the government of Estonia that have been established for ensuring the state’s security of supply, national security, and subsistence to the population and for fulfilling the obligations assumed with international treaties.
Council Directive 2009/119/EC of the European Union requires all member states of the union to maintain minimum stockpiles of crude oil and/or petroleum products.
In Estonia, the Liquid Fuel Stocks Act regulates the establishment, management, and use of the strategic liquid fuel stocks.
In addition to the European Union Member States, liquid fuel stocks are also maintained by the member states of the International Energy Agency (IEA), i.e. large developed economies, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Pursuant to the Liquid Fuel Stocks Act and international obligations, the level of motor fuel stocks must correspond to 90 days’ net imports of liquid fuels.
Expressed in average daily consumption, the government of Estonia has liquid fuel stocks consisting of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel to last us three months.
During a crisis, the daily consumption of motor fuels may increase or decrease considerably, affecting how long the stockpiles last.
For the most part, the Estonian liquid fuel stocks have been purchased and are owned by the state.
The fuel stocks maintained by the Estonian Stockpiling Agency do not include the commercial stockpiles of companies or military stockpiles.
Estonia started to establish its liquid fuel stockpile in 2005 and reached the desired level by 2010. Over the last few years, it has increased its volume of stocks due to the growing consumption of fuels.
The national fuel stocks are insured.
As in the autumn of 2024, 88% of the national fuel stocks are stored in Estonia and 12% abroad. Agreements were concluded with 12 companies for the storage of the stocks.
Storing part of the fuel stocks in another EU Member State is a common practice. Through the years, Estonia has maintained fuel stocks for Sweden, the UK, Italy, and Latvia, to name a few. In order to maintain fuel stocks in another country, a respective international agreement must be concluded with the government of the particular country.
When managing the stockpile, one of the objectives of the ESPA is finding a suitable balance between security risks and the management costs of the stockpile.
As a result of Russia’s military activities in Ukraine and the new security situation, the ESPA has considerably increased the percentage of fuel stocks kept in Estonia.
The ESPA collects a stockpiling fee from the payers of fuel excise duties or persons who release fuel for consumption to cover the management costs of the liquid fuel stocks.
The ESPA collects a stockpiling fee of €4.6 per every thousand litres of petrol, €3.7 per every tonne of diesel, and €7 per every tonne of aviation fuel released for consumption (rates of stockpiling fees approved for 2026). The rates of the fuel stockpiling fees are usually approved by the Minister of Climate once a year.
For a fuel consumer, the stockpiling fee is included in the fuel price per litre and the amount is not separately indicated on a sales receipt of a filling station.
The fuel stockpiling fee covers all costs related to the management of stocks. As the ESPA rents tanks instead of owning them, the costs of storing the liquid fuel stocks form roughly 90% of the management costs of the liquid fuel reserves.
In 2025, 5,5 million euros were collected as stockpiling fees from the motor fuels sold in Estonia.
The ESPA inspects the quality of the stored fuels regularly and carries out inspections to ensure the compliance of the stocks with all norms as well as to check the quantity of the goods transferred for storage.
During the inspections, the octane number of petrol and the cold tolerance of diesel are measured.
Fuel stored as a stockpile does not contain any biofuel additives, allowing it to be stored at the place of storage without rotation for up to a decade.
National liquid fuel stocks are released for consumption only in case of serious supply difficulties.
A difficulty in supply means a significant and sharp decrease in the supply of energy products to a member state of the European Union or the International Energy Agency. Estonian national fuel stocks are not meant to be used as so-called social fuels in a situation where the prices of petroleum products are extremely high, but there are no problems with the availability of motor fuels.
In the event of supply difficulties, the release of the fuel stocks is decided by the government of the republic based on a proposal of the Minister of Energy and Envronment. A proposal for the release of the stocks is prepared by an advisory committee consisting of the members of the supervisory board and management board of the ESPA and the representatives of various ministries and state authorities.
OPTION A
The fuel stocks are released for the fulfilment of international obligations assumed by Estonia, meaning the sale of the stocks on the international market
When the fuel stocks are released based on solidarity by the decision of the European Commission or the International Energy Agency (IEA) to alleviate global supply difficulties and when Estonia has no such difficulties, the ESPA may decide to make an offer of sale to the international market.
In this case, the ESPA primarily releases fuel stocks stored abroad, selling them to the highest bidder.
Stocks that are released based on solidarity in international cooperation have a significantly greater impact on balancing shortages on the global fuel market than the independent measures of a single country.
OPTION B
The release of fuel stocks in the case of serious supply difficulties of fuel in Estonia, or in other words, the sale of stocks to Estonian fuel companies
In the case of supply difficulties in Estonia, the ESPA offers petrol and diesel for sale to companies that have been registered in the register of economic activities for the release of fuel for sale and consumption.
In the case of supply difficulties in Estonia, the ESPA makes sales offers for gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel to fuel sellers - those paying the stockpiling fee.
The quantity of fuel stocks offered for sale to the Estonian fuel sellers is proportionate to their market share and calculated based on the quantities of fuel they released for consumption during the previous four quarters.
The fuel sellers will supply filling station chains with the fuel they have purchased from the national stockpile so that all consumers could continue to have access to petrol and diesel. The fuel sellers will also use the fuel from the national stockpile for performing their contractual obligations to wholesale partners.
When the ESPA and market participants act in a calculated manner in the case of fuel supply difficulties in Estonia or the region and release the stocks fast enough to cover the missing quantities, the consumers might not even notice short-term interruptions in import.
Last updated: 11.03.2026
