Cylinder Re-circulation Policy will not be bent – NPA insists

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is adamant the rules of the Cylinder Re-circulation Module will remain, since it is in the interest of all with regards to safety.

In that vein, the authority has begun community engagement processes and awareness creation on the policy and benefits to stakeholders in the country.

So far, the NPA has met the Council of State, National House of Chiefs and other partners to brief them on the policy and its viability. The authority has also been to Kumasi, Suhum, Takoradi, and other locations across the country on stakeholder consultations.

At the first community engagement drive at Mamobi in Accra, August 16, NPA’s CEO, Mr. Alhassan Tampuli said, “the fact that LPG will not be filled in a manner as it is currently, the policy of cylinder re-circulation is a rule that cannot be bent.”

Mr. Alhassan Tampuli, addressing participants and community leaders on the policy at Mamobi

He called for broader stakeholder collaborations with the authority in order to make the policy a success, adding, “we are continuously accommodating feedbacks but the authority will enforce Cabinet’s directives that LPG cylinders should not be filled as the current practice. That is a clear order from Cabinet and we are going by it.”

Tampuli however said assessment for low, medium and high risk filling stations across the country had been completed and they have been categorized.

He noted that the authority is yet to engage the direct stakeholders of the risk areas to inform them on the way forward and necessary actions.

“We, at the NPA, believe we can’t do this without seeking the views of chiefs, elders and all well-intentioned individuals concerning inputs and opinions to make the policy work well,” he averred.

Chiefs and indigenes of Mamobi expressed their opinions on the policy and asked the government to make the strategy function properly during its full implementation to avoid drawbacks.

At a Cabinet meeting on October 12, 2017, President Akufo-Addo, on the advice of Cabinet, directed that the Cylinder Re-circulation Model of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution be implemented.

The initiative means LPG bottling plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centers and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets.

Low risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles. The whole exercise is expected to be completed within one year when full implementation begins.

The model involves filling of LPG cylinders at designated refilling plants before onward distribution to customers at retail outlets called exchange points. Consumers then exchange their empty cylinders for filled ones at the exchange point.