COPEC vows to ensure new fuel sulphur standards are enforced

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers says it will go any length to ensure that there are no longer delays in the implementation of the new national fuel sulphur standards which have been missed three times.

Following a 2016 BBC report that the quality of diesel shipped into Africa is toxic due to excessive sulphur content, the National Petroleum Authority in October 2016 reviewed the sulphur specification for diesel from 3000-pmm (parts per million) to 500-pmm.

However, consumers resisted the new standard causing further downward review to 50ppm and a January 2017 was set for the implementation of the new standard but was missed. The NPA again set April 2017 as the new deadline but that was also shifted to May 2017 after it was missed.

The May 2017 was again missed, thus raising concerns about the willingness of the NPA to ensure the implementation of the new standard “[It’s] 24th of July and the NPA is now making excuses again the new standards will only come into effect a month later,” despite assurance by vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia that the deadline will be July 2017, a statement signed by Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah said.

“Our checks from the early part of July indicates some importers were bringing 50 and even 10ppm sulphur specifications but couldn’t confirm whether the new standards policy was in full effect and applied across board,” it claimed.

COPEC has thus questioned the measures that the NPA puts in place in setting these timelines which it said “seem to have only become a joke now to the suffering public”.

“Is the NPA in any way committed to seeing to the needs of the taxpayer whose engines, public health, and the environment continue to suffer? What measures does the NPA put in place in setting these timelines that seem to have only become a joke now to the suffering public?,” it asked