The Energy regulation Board (ERB) says the decision to hike fuel prices was arrived at after wide and intense consultations from stakeholders.
ERB Executive Director Langiwe Lungu says the authority through its board made a decision to increase the pump prices for fuel with the cost of petrol going up by K1.64 per litre after wide consultations.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka today, Ms Lungu said the ERB board looked at both local and international factors that surround the procurement of fuel.
And Ms Lungu has clarified that electricity tariffs will be increased for domestic and commercial consumers by 113 percent on average and not the 200 percent as reported in some sections of the media.
She explained that government being a major shareholder, ZESCO and consumers were widely consulted before approving the tariffs that will help the electricity company, operate efficiently.
The ERB Executive Officer underscored that her firm will in due course issue a comprehensive statement on the imminent electricity tariff upward adjustment.
Ms Lungu pointed out that despite 2019 being a challenging year to the energy sector due to climate change, her firm is supporting government’s initiatives of investing in other energy sectors such as solar energy.
“The Ministry of Energy procured 120 MW of solar comprising six projects of 20 mega watts each in 2019.As the regulator we are supporting this initiative by issuing investment endorsements and license waivers for importation of solar equipment where necessary for the dedicated projects. The ERB issued a total of 117 licenses during the course of 2019,” she said.
In her lengthy address to the media, Ms Lungu also disclosed that ERB collected over K177million non tax revenue payments through licence fees, from the initial 2019 target of K173 million.
Yesterday, the ERB announced an increase in pump prices effective today, and electricity tariffs hike for domestic and commercial consumers which will be effected on 1st January 2020
iwe langiwe , did you say the electricity tariff hike is effective 1st January? awe guys be serious. this is too soon. you could have pushed that to atleast to june 2020. is that a guarantee that we we will no longer be subjected to 22 hours of load sheding?
dear all Zambians in living in Zambia, kwena mwachuleni!
Let Zambians learn from this for their Bad Tribal voting lines. Mwachuleni. High Electricity Tariffs, No power? So how do you do business to raise money to pay for electricity and High Fuel? By 2021? You will suffer beyond this. Wait for Trump to impose sanctions on Zambia for forcing his Ambassador out. Lungu had Failed and should be Impeached.
@1.1The Prince
Always looking up to the west….its about time Zambia starts thinking of being on its own without the USA or any other Western countries…please be part of the Solution…you wont like and enjoy the diaspora once you get old…you will think of going back home and the same people you mocking will be the ones welcoming you
ERB provide the rage and not the average. The lower and upper limits of your data frame will be helpful in this case. Stop hiding in semantics.
Langiwe , did you say the electricity tariff hike is effective 1st January? awe guys be serious. this is too soon. you could have pushed that to atleast to june 2020. is that a guarantee that we we will no longer be subjected to 22 hours of load sheding?
dear all Zambians in living in Zambia, kwena mwachuleni!
Dunnuna reverse…..
Let’s go….
Ine i’m a stakeholder. All i remember is reading about Matty Nkhuwa refusing that there was an imminent increment. I honestly wasn’t consulted imwe ba pompwe ba ERB.
C’mon ERB please tell us Zambia’s high debts have to be repaid and not those other lies.GRZ is led by clueless kleptomaniacs.
What has changed ba zesco for you to increase tariffs…the coal powered plant is right next to coal mine.water for kariba Is God give.solar power plants are also receiving free sunlight……i can’t understand you …
Boma needs money to pay the loans back.
Yes Boma has to pay, but Boma is made up of the people; therefore, the people are to pay through these price hikes.
Time for subsidies is over. Everyone knows that. Lazy people living in town used to subsidies will have to make another plan. Times are changing and we have to accept.
Some political parties, lying to the masses that they will reverse such things are witches.
which stake holders did you consult, when Zambians were not consulted. ERB is an organization that is de campaigning our govt by its reckless decisions. our people are already suffering then you increase the price of fuel. we thought that since the kwacha is gaining value the price of fuel is also supposed to reduce but alas the opposite is happening.
As regards to ZESCO and domestic power , we have been advising PF GRZ to initiate a local solar manufacturing industry to wean 80% of house hold off the grid for cooking and other domestic use , make exports , creating massive local jobs but PF thought that will be depriving their cash cow ZESCO of customers and they were too lazy and clueless to take that approach.
As a result the economy and environment have suffered tremendous damage.
Useless PF , We will not stop reminding you that from 3 years ago we were telling you that a local solar manufacturing industry was the way to go…….
It’s good to say , I told you so, aaahhhhh
Don’t worry ERB!
Zambians are very strong!
They complain and soon forget.
You should actually have increased to K20 per litre because the so called Kwacha appreciation was fake. The Kwacha is already heading back to 14 and beyond. Zambia is still a slave to the dollar. When the dollar sneezes, the Kwacha catches a cough!
I feel very bad for my friends who danced the most to Dununa. They are the ones complaining bitterly. Unfortunately, we don’t extend alms to people who are easily cheated because of lack of foresight! You don’t give a job to a candidate who skips interviews! It’s ECL 2021, 2026 and 2031!
LT is one of the blog that published that electricity tariff has been increased by 249%.Now they write that its 113% after getting official reports.
LT is get publication done by watchdog and koswe ? LT I remember you came on scene as early as 1999 as one of the pioneer of social media platform initiative of Netherlands supporters.
LT should not be used by politicians and their cohorts.Nowadays LT is as good as koswe in terms of fake publications.bring back sanitary measures to this platform.
Which stake holders did you consult imwe? Lies, lies all the time lies. The useless minister of energy has been refusing all along when the opposition spoke about a price increment. Dununa Reverse indeed. PF is selling even the very souls of people to the grave. Then they will come at elections time to claim i did this, i did that or my government did this and that as if the money was coming out of their own pockets. The salary increments for ministers and president comes from people’s pockets, the presidential jet bought that Findlay used for drugs, the Fire wheelbarrows, overpriced road contracts and ambulances all came out of the people’s pockets, meaningless government trips, including the huge debt Zambia has to pay all come out of people’s pockets. So people of Zambia tell me how…
tell me how you feel about how government is using your money?
Lesson learnt. Vote already rich and wise pipo like hh, u voted poor ecl he has bcome rich overnight he cant hear cries of retirees.
Thank you for this Christmas present ba PF that you have given us this year. We will return the favour in 2021. We are eagerly awaiting our new years present of electricity tariffs come January as well as the new passport fees of K1500. We still haven’t forgotten the new dollar exchange rate, and mealie meal prices you gave us as a belated independence present. Keep them coming….
Just disband this stupid organization, it’s a tool for oppression. Nonsense.
I don’t know what kind Economists we have in Zambia. There’s no economy which can grow with an expensive production base. Imagine fuel is more expensive in Zambia than in the United States of America where a nurse is paid up K150,000.00 pay month (Zambian nurse only gets up to K15,000.00 per month) and a Doctor in America is paid up to K700,000.00 per month (in Zambia a doctor only gets only up to K25,000.00 per month), and yet in the USA they buy fuel at K5.00 per litre, while in Zambia fuel is K18.00 per litre. More than three times the cost in America. You economists do you think there’s normality in this arithmetic. I think Mr. Edgar Lungu has failed to run the economy of the country! And increasing the cost of electricity or fuel does not solve anything in the positive, it just…