Ministry Of Energy To Introduce Blended Fuels In Step To Lower Pump Prices

The Zambian Minister of Energy, Hon. Peter Chibwe Kapala, has announced that blended fuels will soon be introduced in Zambia to reduce fuel pump prices.

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has developed and approved the technical specifications for blending fuels in the country and the optimum blending ratios have been calculated considering the local climate and the type of vehicles in use.

Blending fuels with ethanol will increase the fuel pool in Zambia and reduce the need to import unleaded petrol, saving foreign exchange.

The blending of fuel will also reduce the cost of doing business and create employment opportunities from farmers to mill operators to transporters and retailers of blended fuel.

The New Dawn government plans to set up ethanol plants around the country, using ethanol from cassava, although the original plan was to use maize, which was later deemed not to be an option due to potential threats to national food security.

Indeni Petroleum Refinery Company Limited, now operating as an Oil Marketing Company (OMC), will start blending locally produced ethanol with petrol, as will Sunbird Bioenergy Zambia. Blended fuels will be available to consumers once rolled out, like any other petroleum product licensed by the ERB.