ZERA Orders Fuel Retailers To Blend All Unleaded Petrol Before Sale
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has ordered fuel retailers to comply with Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024 which mandates that all petrol sold in Zimbabwe must be blended with ethanol before sale.
The Statutory Instrument, which was promulgated on 30 August 2024, stipulates that unblended fuel, which was being sold in some service stations as “unleaded petrol” has to be blended with the same laid down percentage of ethanol as all other petrol.
In a notice issued this Tuesday, November 26, ZERA also warned fuel retailers that it is illegal to sell a petroleum product purporting that it is another.
As all petrol imported into Zimbabwe is unleaded, this means all petrol imported into Zimbabwe must be blended.
There is no leaded petrol in Zimbabwe as this was phased out in 2006, but blending with ethanol has been compulsory since 2011 as part of national measures to encourage use of biofuels. ZERA said:
Please be advised that the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) expects total compliance to the Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024 – Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with Unleaded Petrol) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No.6) from all petroleum sector operators.
Further, operators are also advised that it is illegal to sell a petroleum product purporting that it is another.
ZERA will therefore take the necessary legal steps to ensure full compliance to the law.
Over the years, some fuel service stations avoided selling blended fuel by calling unblended petrol “unleaded petrol”, even though all petrol was unleaded. That loophole closed was closed by the Statutory Instrument. Reads Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024:
Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024.
Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with Unleaded Petrol) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 6)
IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Energy and Power Development, after consultation with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority has, in terms of section 57(1) of the Petroleum Act [Chapter 13:22], made the following regulations:-
1. These regulations may be cited as the Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with Unleaded Petrol) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 6).
2. Section 3 of the Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with Unleaded Petrol) Regulations, 2013, published in Statutory Instrument 17 of 2013, is repealed and substituted by the following-
“3. (1) These regulations shall apply to all unleaded petrol imported into Zimbabwe.
(2) Subsection (1) shall come into operation seven days from the date of publication of these regulations.”.
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