Zim Now Writer
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority has issued a directive mandating fuel retailers to comply with Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024, which requires all petrol sold in the country to be blended with ethanol.
The new regulation, effective from August 30, 2024, stipulates that all petrol, including what was previously sold as “unleaded petrol,” must contain the designated percentage of ethanol. Previously, some service stations avoided blending by labeling unblended fuel as “unleaded petrol,” but this loophole has now been closed by the recent amendment.
In a notice issued on November 26, 2024, ZERA emphasized that it is now illegal to sell a petroleum product under the guise of another.
“Please be advised that the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority 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,” ZERA stated. The authority further warned that non-compliance would lead to legal action, saying, “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.”
All petrol imported into Zimbabwe is unleaded, and the new law ensures that it must now be blended with ethanol before sale. Zimbabwe phased out leaded petrol in 2006, and blending ethanol with unleaded petrol has been mandatory since 2011 as part of the country’s biofuel initiatives.
ZERA has made it clear that it will enforce full compliance, with legal consequences for retailers who fail to meet the new blending requirements. “ZERA expects total compliance to the Statutory Instrument, and operators are also advised that it is illegal to sell a petroleum product purporting that it is another,” the notice read.
The amended regulation, which comes into effect seven days after publication, ensures that all unleaded petrol imported into Zimbabwe must be blended with ethanol. This move strengthens the country’s commitment to promoting biofuels and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
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