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Herald Reporters
Following intervention by the Office of the President and Cabinet, Green Fuel has resumed production of anhydrous ethanol for blending with unleaded petrol at the Chisumbanje plant. In a statement yesterday Green Fuel said the development was in accordance with the country’s indigenisation and economic empowerment drive.
“Green Fuel Private Limited would like to announce that it has resumed the production of anhydrous ethanol for the purpose of blending with unleaded petrol with immediate effect,” the statement read.
“The company agreed with the Government of Zimbabwe to form a joint venture adhering to Zimbabwe’s indigenisation and economic empowerment laws 51/49 percent and Statutory Instrument 17 of 2013 considering the commercial realities of the project,” the statement further said.
According to the company the development would ensure the 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.
“Consequently this full compliance to the country’s laws would invoke the complementary efforts of the Government of Zimbabwe to sustain the opening of the ethanol plant,” Green Fuel said.
The blending of ethanol is to consolidate efforts in making the economy more viable.
“The blending of ethanol with petrol will reduce the petrol price thereby inhibiting the inflation rate in Zimbabwe to the benefit of the general public. It will also ease Zimbabwe’s cash liquidity crisis,” the company said.
Green Fuel recently intensified the roll-out of E-85, a blend of ethanol and unleaded fuel, by increasing the number of fuel stations selling the product and fitting centres for conversion kits that enable cars to use the fuel.
E-85 kit fitting centres that also sell the fuel in Harare include Redan Ambi and Zuva service stations at Groombridge and along Chinhoyi Street.
E-85 is also being sold at Zuva Rolf Valley and at CMED Workington. The high octane fuel is a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded petroleum.
The conversion kit enables cars with direct fuel injection systems to adjust automatically to manage the flow of the different types of fuel to give the best performance and efficiency.
The use of E-85 has several advantages which include significant savings on fuel bills while ethanol is environmentally friendly, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent.
The roll-out follows the approval by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority of the introduction and sale of a new ethanol blend fuel, E85 in May.
This was after the Government in March gazetted the regulations which specify the quality of E85 and other fuels that may be used in Zimbabwe.
At the time Zera said it fully supported the use of bio-ethanol blends which reduce environmental emissions as well as enhance energy security.
Government recently made it mandatory for all the petrol sold in the country to be blended in a move anticipated to reduce the country’s fuel import bill.
Greenfuel has the capacity to meet 85 percent of Sadc petroleum requirements.
Online Reporter