The Africa Centre for Energy Policy, ACEP, says it has received reports from a number of motorists who have inadvertently bought highly contaminated fuel.
Executive Director Benjamin Boakye in an interview with JoyNews said his outfit has begun an exercise to determine fuel stations that sell the product, after he received several complaints from vehicle owners that fuels they purchased resulted in engine malfunction.
This comes on the heels of denials by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company that contaminated fuel has found its way onto the market.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Ghana, in a strongly worded statement on Monday accused the management of BOST, including the Managing Director of not acting in the interest of consumers in the discharge of a product called off-spec, used by heavy industries but not suitable for running engines.
BOST in a counter statement defended its actions, maintaining it chose the most economic option to discharge the product. It assured the product is in storage at the premises of the company that purchased it and not being sold to unsuspecting motorists as petrol.
But the ACEP Director, Benjamin Boakye, in his submission maintained BOST was being economical with the truth. He cited a number of instances where some colleagues and friends had engine malfunction shortly after buying fuel. Vehicle mechanics upon inspection realised the fuel was heavily contaminated.
His position was backed by the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Petroleum consumers, Senyo Hosi, who asked BOST to stop a PR campaign aimed at deceiving the population into thinking the off-pec product is not on the market, when all evidence, including from the National Petroleum Authority, NPA, pointed to the contrary.
Meanwhile ACEP has called for full investigations into the discharge of the product, claiming it led to substantial financial loss to the state.Â