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Chipo Chaumba
The construction of two ethanol storage tanks with a capacity of 6 million litres at the Mabvuku Depot in Harare is now 70 percent complete, said the National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe (NOIC). NOIC expects the project to be completed by the end of December this year.

NOIC said the fuel storage framework, which comes as Government presses ahead with ethanol blending to reduce the cost of petroleum imports amid worsening foreign currency shortages, will be completed at a cost of US$6 million.

NOIC is in the business of pipeline transportation of petroleum products as well as storage and handling at the company’s depots. It also has mandate from Government to maintain and build petroleum facilities.

NOIC is also in the process of developing storage and handling facilities for jet A1 fuel at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare.

The total cost of developing the facilities stands at US$9,3 million.

Speaking at the company’s 5th Annual General Meeting recently, Minister of Energy and Power Development Fortune Chasi said: “NOIC is implementing three important projects namely the ethanol storage facility in Mabvuku, the PLG storage facility in Ruwa, and Jet A1 re-fuelling project at the Robert Mugabe International Airport.

“These projects are at various stages of completion. Implementation of these projects has faced challenges due to the general instability in the entire economy despite the challenges.

“The ministry expects NOIC to register progress, especially on the ethanol and LPG storage facilities. NOIC should be able to complete these projects latest by December 2020,” Minister Chasi said.