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Cheap petrol to flow again at Zim pumps

Harare - Zimbabwe’s ethanol-producing company Green Fuel this week resumed production of anhydrous ethanol for blending with unleaded petrol.

The company announced on Monday that it has resumed operations with immediate effect, following its agreement with the government of Zimbabwe to form a joint venture adhering to Zimbabwe’s indigenisation laws.

Operations at the plant had been stalled for almost two years, amid wrangling with the local community and government over a host of issues including its ownership structures.

According to the company, the latest development will ensure security of tenure for the 4 500 jobs created by the project to date, the continued expansion of the ethanol project and power generation into the grid as well as the expansion of the outgrower schemes at Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi, within which the project has been incorporated.

The company said blending of ethanol with petrol will reduce the petrol price as well as ease Zimbabwe’s cash liquidity crisis.

The most popular blend of fuel from Green Fuel is E-10, which is made up of 10% ethanol and currently retails at between 5 and 10 US cents below the price of unleaded petrol.

The company has since introduced E-85 which is made up of 85% ethanol and retails at $1.10, compared with $1.51 for unleaded petrol.

The company’s general manager Graeme Smith said in an interview last year that the plant itself can run and support 10% blending, but with some minor adjustments and small costs can upgrade to 20%. From there it can also go up to 60%, 80% and then 100%.

He said the plant needs to sell a minimum of 4 million litres of ethanol a month to run continuously.

 - Fin24
 
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