No change to ethanol blending levels

Zimbabwe's government has scrapped plans to increase the mandatory threshold for ethanol blending and will maintain the current levels, as a result of the disappointing sugarcane output.

Initially, the government planned to increase the mandatory blending of petrol with ethanol to 20% by April this year from the current E15, reporting this would save $72 million (€53 million) in fuel costs.

'The blending levels of ethanol and unleaded petrol could not be maintained at E20 because of floods in the sugarcane fields hindering harvesting to adequate supply of ethanol for blending in the market. The consequences of this approval is that all operators shall from the date of publication, be maintained to sell unleaded petrol blended at E15,' says energy minister, Dzikamai Mavhaire.