The Colonial Pipeline is up and running after a six-day shutdown, but some gas stations in Washington, D.C. and parts of the southeast are still struggling with shortages.

In the nation’s capital, about 81 per cent of filling stations still don’t have gasoline, according to GasBuddy, a platform that tracks fuel demand, prices and outages.

The platform also indicated that 58 per cent of North Carolina gas stations are out of gas and 48 per cent of South Carolina stations have run dry.

Drivers wait in line to refuel vehicles at a Costco Wholesale Corp. gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia last week.
Drivers wait in line to refuel vehicles at a Costco Wholesale Corp. gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia last week. (AP)

The Colonial Pipeline spans more than 8850 kilometres and transports about 45 per cent of all the fuel consumed on the East Coast.

It transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil.

On Thursday, operators of the pipeline said they had made “substantial progress” in restarting the system, adding that fuel has begun flowing to most of the markets it serves.

US national average retail gasoline prices rose above US $3 a gallon for the first time since 2014 last week, after a cyberattack shut operations at Colonial Pipeline, the main supply link for the East Coast.
US national average retail gasoline prices rose above US $3 a gallon for the first time since 2014 last week, after a cyberattack shut operations at Colonial Pipeline, the main supply link for the East Coast. (AP)

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the successful restart of the 8850-kilometre pipeline “should mean things will return to normal by the end of the weekend,” but clearly, gas stations are still struggling with supply.

The pipeline flows at just 8km/h, meaning it could take days or even weeks for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to flow through to most places and replenish nearly empty storage facilities, analysts at energy company S&P Global Platts said.



This content first appear on 9news

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