The Energy Regulation Board has ordered the immediate closure of 12 filling stations countrywide for failing to comply with ERB standards.
The five shutdown OMCs are Continental Oil Corporation Limited, Engen Petroleum Zambia Limited, Mount Meru Petroleum Limited, Petrotech Oil Corporation Limited and Suban Petroleum Limited.
Some of the retail sites are Continental Oil Corporation Limited Kapiri and Kitwe’s KMB filing stations, Engen petroleum at Makoli Road service station, JDB Freetown station in Kitwe and Northrise service station in Ndola.
Affected Mount Mero sites in Lusaka are Kafue Road service station, Farmers service station in Nampundwe, Palmgreen service station and Nakonde service station in Nakonde.
Others are Petrotech’s Kabwe service station in Kabwe and Garneton service station in Kitwe and Suban Petroleum Masala retail outside in Ndola.
This follows the inspection conducted between April and May 2014 which revealed that a number of retail sites were not compliant to the ERB technical standards.
To this effect the five OMCs have been directed to immediately cease operating the non-compliant sites until the identified anomalies are rectified.
Some of the anomalies detected during the ERB inspections ranged from lack of free toilet facilities, leak detection wells, sand buckets, compressors, tyre inflators, functional pressure gauges and price displays.
The inspection also found that some sites had expired fire extinguishers, exposed pumps and dispensers, defective emergency shut off switches, invisible safety signs, faded product color coding, potholes on the forecourt, inadequate fire protection cover, clogged drainage systems and oil interceptors.
This is contained in a statement by ERB Executive Director Langiwe Lungu.
Okay! but ………….
That is the way to go. I wonder why we even call these places as “service stations” for they do not offer any service but just sell gas. I am even surprised that there only 12 non compliant stations in Zambia. There should be more if the inspections are genuine. For instance in Kabwe no station in compliant- Non at all!! Kabwe being a transit town offers no service to us passing through motorists!
There no service station to talk about in Solwezi- Nothing at ALL.
The only service stations worth the name in Lusaka are are those along great east road.. PUMA arcades, New Engen,PUMA- Woodlands and TOTAL Northmead. The rest in Lusaka are petrol stations with no service at all.
ERB needs to do more- I salute this new ED at ERB for the an effort to bring sanity to the industry .
This is what we call GOOD DEVELOPMENT. Lets raise the standards of Doing business in Zambia.
Wel done ERB. This shows u r working…!!!
I am glad Mount Meru is one of them.
Go to Botswana and south africa and see the superb services at service stations, we can say here in zambia we have a corrupt govt and ERB is worse than the appointing authority when it comes to corruption.
In solwezi all filling stations have no pressure and all motorists go to private businesses for help.
You can be impressed to go to south africa and see what the service stations provide.
Hello Zedians! I am sure the next ERB will let the mess slide back into the sinkhole.