THE Energy Regulation Board (ERB) says the country has adequate fuel stocks to last for the period before the Government completes the procurement of the next consignment.
ERB director general Yohane Mukabe said the country currently had petrol stock to last for 26 days and diesel, two weeks.
Mr Mukabe told a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the country’s average petrol consumption was 1.4million litres and diesel, 3.3million litres.
“So the minimum stock levels should be at least 15 days, for which we are less by one day for diesel but this does not mean we should panic because Government is in the process of concluding the procurement for new stock,” Mr Mukabe said.
He said consumers would begin to feel the benefits of tax waivers on fuel at pump price, saying the monthly review of prices had ran successfully in the last six months of this year.
Meanwhile, Mr Mukabe said ERB received 266 consumer complaints in the first half of this year, with 95 per cent being against delayed new connections by Zesco.
He said the service provider had since been engaged to address the consumer complaints and assured that the backlog would be liquidated by the end of this year.
Mr Mukabe said the board was satisfied with the new Zesco, Copperbelt Energy Corporation bulk supply agreement and was confident that it would create a win-win situation for the two institutions over a 13-year period of implementation.
