‘We can’t store fuel in bulk’

By SILUMESI MALUMOWE have no capacity to store fuel if we buy in bulk, Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa has said.Mr Nkhuwa said presently the country only depended on Indeni which could not accommodate fuel if it was bought in bulk.He said in an interview yesterday, the country only had storage capacity which can only …

‘We can’t store fuel in bulk’
By SILUMESI MALUMOWE have no capacity to store fuel if we buy in bulk, Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa has said.Mr Nkhuwa said presently the country only depended on Indeni which could not accommodate fuel if it was bought in bulk.He said in an interview yesterday, the country only had storage capacity which can only accommodate fuel to last for 40 days.The minister was reacting to Minister of Finance Bwalya Ng’andu who said he was ready to release funds if the country had enough storage to buy fuel for hoarding.But Mr Nkhuwa said the country would only manage to buy fuel for hoarding if storage facilities that were being constructed were completed.“Currently we are putting up depots in Lusaka, Chipata, Mpika and Mansa when these are completed then we can be able to buy fuel in bulk,” he said.Mr Nkhuwa said it would be impressive if funds were released to complete the deport in Lusaka which had huge storage capacity.The minister said he would engage the Ministry of Finance on the issue of funding so that the storage facilities could be completed on time to enable the country stock enough fuel.