GOIL PlC has officially commissioned 5 Auto gas stations simultaneously at five locations nationwide at a ceremony held at the Burma Camp GOIL service station, Accra, on Wednesday.
The locations are the Cape Coast By-Pass in the Central region, GOIL Burma Camp and Kpeshie service station in the Greater Accra Region, Paco Gas station, Takoradi in the Western Region (yet to be approved by NPA), and Kentinkrono, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.
This move by GOIL is in preparation of the full implementation of the government’s cylinder recirculation module (CRM) policy, which aims to ensure that by 2030—50 per cent of Ghanaians have access to safe, clean and environmentally friendly liquefied petroleum gas.
Speaking at the opening of the new gas stations in Accra, the Group CEO of GOIL PLC, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, said GOIL was at the forefront of meeting all the supply chain requirements set by the NPA.
This commitment, he said, was demonstrated through the construction of two Cylinder Bottling Plants, one in Kumasi and another in Tema, as well as the establishment of the five modern Auto Gas stations.
He further explained the sites were selected because they meet the necessary criteria, including approval from the Land Use & Spatial Planning Authority, compliance with National Petroleum Authority (NPA) regulations, profitability, and ensuring that customers in different areas have access to modern and safe gas facilities.
“The Modern Auto Gas Stations are designed based on current construction procedures and international safety standards. The technical experts used Gas Leakage Detection Alarms, Loading Arms, Sprinkler Systems, Automated and Emergency Shut-Off Valves coupled with underground LPG storage tanks fitted with standard equipment,” he said.
The reason for the choice, he said, was to ensure the risk of LPG leaks with the resultant fire accidents and explosions are reduced to the barest minimum. The modern auto gas stations will reduce manual handling of the opening and closing of valves, which makes them a safer option for dispensing of LPG into vehicles in Ghana,” Hon Osei-Prempeh stated.
He also mentioned that talks between GOIL’s Technical and Special Products Department and the NPA highlighted the importance of adding cylinder filling stations to the project.
This, he explained, was necessary to ensure that GOIL could continue providing safe cylinder filling services to its LPG customers until the complete rollout of the CRM.
The Deputy Minister for Energy, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, who spoke on behalf of the sector Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, congratulated GOIL Plc for achieving the milestone.
He said, “The commissioning of this modern Auto Gas station here in Burma Camp and by extension the other 4 stations in Kpeshie, Cape Coast, Takoradi and Kumasi marks a significant achievement in the implementation of energy policy as it pertains to the transport sector in Ghana.”
He stated further that the opening of these facilities represented a major achievement in the country’s energy policy, which had been to adopt natural gas as a transition fuel for power generation and transportation.
Esther Anku, a Senior Programme Officer at the NPA, said the facilities would deepen the country’s efforts to ensure 50 per cent of Ghanaians have access to safe, clean and environmentally friendly liquefied petroleum gas by 2030.
“I am very excited to see these facilities come into fruition, but how they are operated and maintained is crucial,” she added.
