/ 8 July 1999

ZAMBIA FUEL RISES AFTER FIRE

ZAMBIA was forced on Wednesday to increase its fuel prices by 10,9% after a fire gutted portions of its only oil refinery. The Zambian Energy Regulation Board said in a statement on Wednesday that the price hikes are designed to cover the high cost of importing refined petroleum products from neighbouring countries to replace the feed from Indeni Oil Refinery in Ndola province. The Indeni fire gutted the country’s only fuel distillation unit four months ago but only began impacting on fuel reserves ten weeks ago when national fuel reserves were used up.

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