'No Urea Solution Shortage in 2021'... Gyeonggi-do Holds Emergency Inspection Meeting on the 7th

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province has launched an inspection of the current status of urea solution shortages among bus companies in the province.

On the 8th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it held an emergency inspection meeting on the 7th to check the supply and demand situation of bus companies, as concerns grew over the recurrence of the '2021 urea solution crisis' due to China's export restrictions on urea.

During the inspection, Gyeonggi Province confirmed through the Fine Chemical Industry Promotion Association that "3.7 months' worth of supply is secured through domestic stock and contracts outside China, and that securing alternative import routes and early release of public stockpiles by the Public Procurement Service are possible."

Currently, about 20,000 diesel buses in the province require urea solution, accounting for 70% of the total. Among these, intercity buses and charter buses are mostly diesel vehicles, and operational disruptions are expected if urea solution supply issues arise. However, the inventory status check of urea solution at bus companies showed that the average stock per company was within one month, indicating a stable condition as usual.

At the meeting, bus companies conveyed to Gyeonggi Province that even during the worst period in 2021, the problem was not the supply volume but the price, which had increased 3 to 4 times. They requested active management measures such as price stabilization through government subsidies and strategic stockpiling by the government to prevent recurrence of such issues.

Gyeonggi Province recommended establishing a cooperative support system among companies, including sharing urea solution reserves of large bus companies and reducing costs through bulk joint purchases at the association level. If necessary, the province will actively request the government to prioritize allocation of public stockpiles to bus companies that have the greatest impact on residents.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Bus Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Through the inspection meeting, we confirmed that the current supply and demand status of urea solution for Gyeonggi buses is stable. However, in preparation for the possible enforcement of China's export restrictions in the first quarter of next year, the province and local governments will cooperate to operate a real-time monitoring system for on-site supply and inventory status of bus companies, and discuss various measures to ensure there are no disruptions in urea solution supply."