Zambia: No Fuel Crisis, Says ERB

The Zambian Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has dismissed reports of a fuel crisis in Zambia, stating that the country has sufficient stocks of petroleum products.

While there have been sporadic stockouts at some filling stations, particularly for petrol, the ERB attributed this to logistical challenges.

“As of 3rd January 2025, out of 616 filling stations monitored countrywide, 503 were selling both diesel and petrol while only 14 filling stations were completely dry on both products,” the ERB said in a press statement.

The ERB explained further that only 101 retail sites were not selling petrol out of the 616 filling stations monitored countrywide.

According to ERB, the introduction of refundable transit taxes in Zimbabwe of about US$25,000 per truck has resulted in transporters opting to use alternative routes through Chanida
and Nakonde border points, leading to extended transit times.

Additionally, some OMCs have cited delays in bringing in petroleum product via the ports of Beira and Dar-es-Salaam due to increased congestion at the loading ports.

In order to mitigate the effects of the challenges associated with the importation of petrol, the ERB said it is actively engaging the OMCs and other government agencies such as the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to ensure implementation of measures aimed at timely delivery of petroleum products.

These measures include, among others, OMCs pre-clearing their imported products to avoid delays at the border and easing on requirements for hiring local tankers for transportation of petroleum products.

Further, the extension of movement of petroleum tankers beyond 18:00 is still in effect from last year to ensure the country is adequately stocked with petroleum products.

To this end, the ERB reiterated that there is no fuel supply crisis in the country and calls on consumers not to engage in panic buying as the country has sufficient stocks to meet daily requirements.

Source:https://energynewsafrica.com