Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Perry Okudzeto, has disclosed that the Authority is set to implement the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) Programme in September this year.
According to him, the implementation of the CRM, would be carried out by the Authority and its partners under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy. He revealed that residents of Accra and other selected parts of the country do not necessarily have to own a cylinder to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for domestic and commercial activities under the programme.
“Filled LPG cylinders will be kept at exchange points for customers to pay for the content and pick up the filled cylinders after registering with their National Identity Card.”
Perry Okudzeto
Addressing the media on the programme set to be rolled out in Accra, Mr Okudzeto, iterated that the programme would be rolled out in September in Accra and Kumasi and would gradually spread to other parts of the country.
He noted that the CRM would run concurrently with the current distribution model until it is phased out, as a 50-member committee is working on the CRM.
Furthermore, the deputy CEO of NPA stated that the LPG Marketing Companies had representation on the committee and their inputs had been factored into the framework. He noted that these industry players have been engaged, their ideas have been taken on board and the framework has been designed with their input and are ready to offer their support to ensure the success of the project.
Moreover, Mr Okudzeto expressed that the implementation of the CRM was conceived to ensure that at least 50% of Ghanaians have access to safe, clean and environmentally friendly LPG by 2030. He further explained that per the CRM policy, cylinders procured from manufacturing companies would be sent to Bottling Plants to be filled.
“It is also meant to improve access to LPG, improve safety in the distribution of LPG and increase adoption of LPG. Additionally, it is a policy shift to stop the unnecessary loss of lives and property as well as gas filling stations, mostly due to human error.”
Perry Okudzeto
Also, Mr Okudzeto revealed that the filled cylinders will be transported in bulk to exchange depots for holding and sorting before transporting them in quantities to cylinder exchange points where consumers could register and pay for any quantity for domestic and commercial consumption.
Registration of programme with Ghana Card
Additionally, he highlighted that there will be registration with the Ghana card at the exchange points to ensure that the right data on consumers are captured for traceability and the programme had been well piloted. Equally, he noted that it will ensure the system is streamlined and the infrastructure put in place to ensure the safe delivery and use of LPG across the operational areas.
“Specialized trucks will be used to transport the filled cylinders from the bottling plants to the retail stations or exchange points, where consumers will exchange their empty cylinders for filled ones”.
Perry Okudzeto
Recounting the journey towards implementing the CRM, Mr Okudzeto revealed that the NPA commissioned a pilot programme with the existing infrastructure. He explained that the pilot programme was done in the Eastern Region around the Kwaebibem, in Ashanti Region in the Obuasi zone and then in the Northern Region in the Yendi zone.
“The programme taught us quite a number of lessons and that has gone into shaping the framework for the implementation of the new policy.”
Perry Okudzeto
Meanwhile, Mr Okudzeto indicated that four CRM Bottling facilities – GOIL Bottling Plant in Tema and Kumasi as well as the Blue Ocean and Newgas facilities were ready to take off.
Also, he noted that the APPEB Cylinder Manufacturing Company in Awutu Senya, SIGMA Cylinder Manufacturing Company in Accra and the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company at Spintex, which will be producing the cylinders to be distributed nationwide, are equally ready for the rollout.
“So far, since 2017, the first step had been to construct bottling plants that will be the main pivot around which the policy will operate since under the new policy, cylinders are going to be filled with LPG and sent to exchange points for distribution.”
Perry Okudzeto
