Africa-Press – Zambia. Central African Renewable Energy (CARE), a local company producing clean fuel from used motor vehicle tyres and plastics, has called on the government to embrace local solutions as a measure to mitigate the current high fuel prices on the international market.
CARE Managing Director, Mulenga Mulenga, says it is high time Zambia utilised the local innovations and raw materials to cushion the escalating fuel prices on the international market that have in turn equally affected the country.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr Mulenga said Zambia has a lot of potentials to manufacture its own fuel from the abundant raw materials such as coal, plastics and used tyres that are just littering the environment.
“Recently we have seen that fuel prices have continued to go up not just in Zambia but the world over. We are a country that depends on importing all our fuel products, hence any slight hike in prices on the international market is felt. We as CARE, therefore, call for utilisation of our local innovations and raw materials to produce our own fuel, “He said.
He added that having homegrown solutions is the only way that will shield Zambia from the negative effects of the international economic shocks such as high fuel prices.
He explained that the company, which is currently producing over 700 litres of petrol, diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from used vehicle tyres and plastics, has the capacity to produce even more if only accorded the necessary support.
Mr Mulenga stated that the US$80,000 production plant situated in Lusaka’s Shantumbu area has the capacity to produce over one million litres of fuel per day if expanded.
“It is time for Zambians to embrace our own ideas. Us we are producing the fuel from waste material that has been polluting the environment,” he said. Mr Mulenga explained that the use of used tyres and plastics to produce fuel will help clean the environment.
He added that the company has put in place a sustainability plan to ensure that once it starts large scale production of fuel, it is able to satisfy the market.
He noted that used tyres and plastics will always be available hence there will be no shortage of raw materials. Mr Mulenga has meanwhile disclosed that the company is also testing coal as another raw material.
And an Energy Expert, Boniface Zulu, advised the government to consider alternative markets for energy products. Mr Zulu, a chemical engineer by profession, said Zambia should revisit its sources of petroleum products and explore other markets such as Angola. He said there was the need to improve local innovations if the prices of energy products are to be stable in the country.
“The Ukraine and Russia war is not going to finish now. So we have to look to other sources of where we can get a fuel commodity such as the Angola-Zambia pipeline for the long term and support local ideas as short term measures to help address high fuel prices, “ he said.
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