06 August 2013, Lagos – The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has threatened to sanction Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, marketers without valid licenses or who failed to comply with its provisions on operational safety.
Speaking at the 2013 Annual LPG Stakeholders’ Forum organised by the DPR, in Lagos, Head, Gas, DPR, Mr. Oliver Okparaojiako, said in the next couple of months, the industry regulator will commence facility audit of licensed plants nationwide, to ensure compliance with statutory provisions on operational safety.
According to Okparaojiako, who was represented by Mr. Christian Amaechi, an official in the DPR, many marketers store and sell LPG without valid licenses, thereby contravening the law.
He said: “Henceforth, all retail outlets for LPG must be licensed. We want to use this medium to direct all LPG plant operators to ensure that resell points have valid licenses. Our inspectors have been directed to ensure compliance.
“Plant operators must be conversant with all safety need of LPG plant operations.”
He projected that the annual consumption of LPG will rise above 200,000 metric tonnes in 2013, which he based on recent efforts by government to increase consumption.
Also speaking, Mr. Gbenga Koku, Operations Controller (Lagos Zonal Office), DPR, said it has been recording significant increase in the number of applicants for Approval to Construct, ATC, by prospective plant owners, while existing plant owners are applying to install LPG skid or auto gas within their service stations.
According to him, this is an indication that there is a positive development aimed at encouraging LPG utilisation as the preferred energy.
He, however, warned LPG plant owners who continued to sell products to unlicensed distributors and bulk end users to desist from the act, saying that henceforth, violators will be severely sanctioned.
– Michael Eboh, Vanguard
