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Background
On Oct. 7, 2017, there was a devastating gas explosion at the Mansco gas station at Atomic Junction, Madina, Accra. Seven people died with scores of people injured. Find other reports of the incident here, here and here.
The president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, on Sept. 21, 2020, ordered the rollout of the cylinder recirculation model after visiting the disaster site.
Several years later, the National Petroleum Authority has implemented the policy initiative.
Ghana’s Cylinder Recirculation Model
The Cylinder Recirculation Model seeks to ensure the refilling of cylinders in a safer way as well as reduce accidents at gas filling points in communal and residential areas. The cylinders are inspected and maintained to the best safety standards.
Under the CRM, it is the responsibility of LPG marketing companies to ensure that cylinders are in the best condition before it is handed over to customers. This includes checking for dents and replacing valves to avoid leakages.
How does it work?
The CRM distribution system is designed such that a registered customer brings an empty cylinder to an exchange point in return for a filled cylinder. The empty cylinder is taken to a bottling facility, filled and returned to be picked up by other customers.
Different sizes of cylinders will be available to meet the needs of various customers.
Customers will have to register with a national identification card or other forms of identification to be eligible for the CRM system.
Customers will initially pay for the cost of the cylinder and the gas. Subsequently, they will pay for the gas only.
The bottling companies
Under the model, the NPA has authorised some petroleum marketing companies to distribute filled cylinders of LPG. The initiative will be implemented in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions for now.
In a press briefing, Mr Perry Okudzeto, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at NPA stated that four bottling facilities are ready to operate.
This includes both Goil Bottling Plants in Tema and Kumasi as well as the Blue Ocean and Newgas facilities.
Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Spintex, APPEB Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Awutu Senya, and SIGMA Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Accra will be producing the needed cylinders for the rollout nationwide.
When does it start?
The NPA has authorised bottling plants to fill cylinders and sell them to customers/public at exchange points effective Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. The CRM will also run simultaneously with the current refilling stations for three years till it is perfected and implemented fully.
