Green Fuel, a Zimbabwe ethanol-producing company, has applied to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development for a licence to sell ethanol produced at its Chisumbanje plant.
Green Fuel has already produced over a million litres of ethanol.
The $600 million project is expected to create 10 000 jobs when fully operational.
Secretary for Power and Energy Development Justin Mupamhanga yesterday confirmed receipt of application by Green Fuel last week.
“They applied for a licence last week and we hope to consider it as quickly as possible,” said Mupamhanga. He said there would be a stakeholders’ meeting today to discuss the issue of ethanol in the country.
Stakeholders expected to attend include motor vehicle assemblers, service station owners and officials from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development.
“Essentially, we have one million litres of ethanol. We can only put it on the market when everybody on the market is clear on the positives of ethanol,” Mupamhanga said.
Addressing delegates at the country’s first ever power conference that began in Harare on Tuesday, Green Fuel general manager Graeme Smith said the ethanol plant could produce 15% of the country’s fuel requirements this year while output may be increased to 20% and 25% in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
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“With the further investment and government support Green Fuel can produce 1,5 billion litres of ethanol each year. This is 150% of the countries current fuel consumption,” Smith said.
In 2010, the country’s total oil imports stood at $0,83 billion. The country anticipates to import at least $1,33 billion litres this year.
Smith said the country should come up with legislation that was in line with the rest of the world and a mandatory blending legislation.
He said there should be customs rebate to allow the importation of Flex cars and power generated from green sources would receive market-related payments.
