Zimbabwe Enforces Ethanol Blending Regulation for Petrol

The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has directed all fuel suppliers to comply with Statutory Instrument 150 of 2024, which mandates the blending of anhydrous ethanol with unleaded petrol for all petrol sold in the country.

In a statement, the Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with Unleaded Petrol) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 6), were enacted after consultations between the Minister of Energy and Power Development and ZERA. The regulation requires that all unleaded petrol imported into Zimbabwe be blended with ethanol, effective seven days from the publication of the statutory instrument.

ZERA has warned that selling unblended petrol is now illegal and that legal action will be taken against any operators who fail to adhere to the new regulations.

The ethanol blending mandate is part of a broader initiative aimed at increasing the use of biofuels and reducing the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.