Pacific island fuel crisis.
prob 0.49
severity 3.4 / 5 · revision 2026-05-09elevated · 12 Pacific island economies · diesel + power$ shortage country get PLW > stress_index: 0.55 WATCH > 1 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Palau, a small Pacific archipelago, imports all of its energy and most of its food. Diesel generation dominates, with a growing solar share. A tourism economy in free association with the United States, it is exposed to typhoons and sea-level rise.
Palau faces dry-season water stress, with El Niño drought lowering its reservoir and streams.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel stocksAll fuel is imported to a small archipelago. | moderate | 25days | WATCH |
| Electricity · diesel and solarDiesel generation dominates, with a growing solar share. | transitioning | — | WATCH |
| Food · commercial stocksPalau imports most of its food. | limited | 30days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/PLW | jq '.stress' > 0.55