The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has closed down 45 fuel stations in the country due to non-compliance with some regulatory and technical requirements.
A further 37 have been earmarked for closure when the level of stocks reduces to appropriate levels within the safety zone.
Mr Alhassan Tampuli, Chief Executive Officer, NPA, who disclosed this at the launch of the national petroleum safety campaign in Accra, said 26 fuel outlets have been re-opened after comprehensive inspections by the Inspections and Monitoring Unit of the Authority.
According to him, the measures form part of directives by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to prevent and reduce the incidence of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) explosion, following a gas explosion incident last month at Atomic Junction in Accra.
Themed “People Safety First”, the campaign, he noted was intended to raise awareness of safety protocols in the petroleum downstream and to educate the public on their role in preventing fires at all petroleum installations and other locations in the country.
To further intensify the new operational guidelines, Mr Tampuli said the NPA has constituted a committee to oversee the activities of the task force that would conduct risk assessment of existing LPG infrastructure in the country.
He said the NPA was currently developing the implementation strategy for the Cylinder Recirculation Model of LPG distribution, which was expected to be rolled out next year, adding that the Authority would publish the licensing requirements for setting up LPG Bottling Plants.
Mr Boakye Agyarko, Minister of Energy, said the campaign was necessary to sensitise the public on ensuring safety in handling petroleum products and addressing recent surge in LPG explosions.
He urged industry players to take the initiative of formulating industry safety standards through industry associations and peer review each other and sanction members who were not keeping with accepted practices.
In line with the NPA’s efforts to intensify their inspection regime, Mr Agyarko said the ministry has given the Authority the green light to partner with relevant stakeholders to deploy 200 safety auditors to augment the already existing ones to ensure safety standards were upheld at the various fuel outlets.
He urged the public to eliminate complacency when handling petroleum products to avoid putting lives and properties at risk.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
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As for Ghana, once we find a means of making money we open such facilities like provision stores. What is supposed to be the filling station density per square kilometre and population density? I used to live in Germany; the locality I stayed in has increased in population (high rise buildings by the dozen and all that), but when I went to Google Maps it still showed me the same four or five fuel stations that were there 20 years ago. But in Gh, some politicians have found a means to make money even when they leave politics so every ten meters they have to open a fuel station, even out in the rural areas. NPA needs to curtail this now. We have enough filling stations in Ghana for 10 more lifetimes!
Please lets see the national breakdown ,ie region,district,name of fuel station and why the closure, we need to know, ok?
Tnx very2 much NPa for ur humanitarian action. Pl. go to the outskirts of Accra, madina, Ashale Botwe School Junction, MmaiDjorn etc & u'll see how Oetrol stations are scattered over the whole areas. Residents have inner fears whenever they hear of explosions elsewhere. These stations are too close to residential houses for their safety in case of boom-nobody knows when & how. Pl. send your men to these areas & see & you'll certainly close them all down. Go to the advanced countries & you'll see where they build their petrol stations-way outside the cities & towns & we all know why. We expect more action from u NPA but well done for a gud start and continue with honesty.