Press Statement – Update on Fuel Supply Situation in the Country

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) would like to update the nation on the fuel situation in the country.

The ERB wishes to acknowledge that while the country has sufficient stocks of petroleum products, there are sporadic stockouts at some filing stations in the country, particularly for petrol. The public may wish to know that Zambia imports diesel by both road and pipeline with about 3.4 million litres coming in through the pipeline daily resulting in the sufficient diesel stocks observed at most filling stations. The situation is not the same regarding petrol which is wholly transported by road.

As the public may be aware, the importation of petroleum products is private sector driven. At present, Oil Marketing Companies have been experiencing logistical challenges in the transportation of petrol affecting the turnaround time leading to some retail facilities stocking out on this product.

Contrary to some sections of the media, there is no fuel supply crisis in the country. The ERB continues to monitor the fuel situation in the country every day to ensure continuous supply of fuel at the filling stations. 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. Further, only 101 retail sites were not selling petrol out of the 616 filling stations monitored countrywide.

The ERB wishes to reiterate that the fuel stock-outs experienced at some filling stations are due to logistical challenges. For example, 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 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 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 wishes to reiterate 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.

If in need of further information on the current fuel supply situation, please contact the ERB through its offices in Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone and Kasama, on the various social media platforms, or the ERB Toll-Free Line 8484.

Chibulu Musonda

ACTING MANAGER – PUBLIC RELATIONS

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