Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has in a press statement said the blending ratio of unleaded petrol and ethanol obtaining in the market is consistent across the country and is in line with the ZWS 964:3 standard for E20 blend.
The authority says this as motorists make an outcry over expensive petrol available from local service stations which are giving less mileage on vehicles than before.
“Blending petrol with ethanol has helped to hold down the rate of increase of petrol price,” the authority says.
“Without blending, the pump price of unleaded petrol would be significantly higher than it is now.”
The energy regulatory authority also said that it is carrying out monitoring operations to detect and deter malpractices in the fuel supply sector.
“The Authority is aware that during periods of product supply constraints, as is obtaining now, some filling stations may be tempted to engage in illegal and unethical practices for personal gains.”
“Zera is carrying out joint monitoring operations with stakeholders such as the Trade Measures Department to detect and deter any malpractices in the sector.”
“Consumers are encouraged to report suspicious operations in time to enable prompt investigations and corrective action.”
The Energy Regulatory Authority claims to have been consistently conducting routine quality inspections at all fuel service stations across the country and prosecuting offending operators.
“From January 2019 to August 2019, the average compliance rate to fuel quality standards was 99.2% across the country with only one site being prosecuted for having contaminated diesel,” says ZERA.
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