Adnan Adams Mohammed
Effective next year, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), will be rolling out a stringent grading and labeling control mechanisms to help address concerns about the quality of petrol in the country.
The labeling will be done in accordance with the level of octane contain in the bulk fuel tank at a station at all times.
Over the years there have been complaints from consumers about quality of fuel sold to them at the pumps. However, in most recent times, there have numerous reports of damaged spark plugs attributed to poor standard fuel at the pumps. It is in response to these that the NPA has decided to label pumps for petrol based on their octane grades.
“I can say that there is no tainted petrol on the market”, Ubeidalah Saeed, the Head of Quality Control at NPA said in an interview last week. “Vehicle owners may be purchasing the wrong fuel for their cars, leading to performance issues.”
Although, Mr Saeed shared that, he has also experienced vehicle troubles, emphasised the importance of considering the ‘octane level’ of the fuel when addressing problems such as car jerking.
He explained the NPA’s approach: “It costs about 500 dollars to test for octane, so we started testing for octane and realised that all the petrol we’re testing were meeting the octane levels.”
Mr Saeed highlighted that each vehicle has a minimum octane level requirement for optimal performance.
To provide clarity and prevent misconceptions, the NPA has decided to label petrol pumps based on octane levels starting next year.
Ghana will have two grades of petrol – RON 91 (red) and RON 95 (green), the latter being a high-grade petrol known as premium petrol suitable for high-performing vehicles.
Mr Saeed’s announcement aims to ensure consumers make informed choices and use the appropriate fuel for their vehicles.
He made this announcement while addressing the issue of contaminated fuel on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, December 11, 2023.
