Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has said that Perry Okudzeto, the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) programme is scheduled for implementation in September this year.

Under the CRM, residents of Accra and other selected areas in the country will no longer be required to own a cylinder to access Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for their domestic and commercial needs.

“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”.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and its partners, under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy, will lead the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM), according to Mr. Perry Okudzeto, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of NPA.

During a media briefing in Accra regarding the planned implementation of the CRM, Mr. Okudzeto stated that the program is set to commence in September, starting in Accra and Kumasi, with gradual expansion to cover the entire country.

He emphasized that the CRM would coexist alongside the current distribution model until its complete phase-out, and a dedicated 50-member committee has been formed to work on the CRM.

Furthermore, Mr. Okudzeto noted that the LPG Marketing Companies are actively involved in the committee, and their valuable inputs have been incorporated into the CRM framework.

“All 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,” he stressed

According to Mr. Okudzeto, the CRM's implementation aims to provide safe, clean, and environmentally friendly LPG to at least 50% of Ghanaians by 2030.

“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.”

According to Mr. Okudzeto's explanation, cylinders obtained from manufacturing firms would be delivered to bottling plants to be filled.

The filled cylinders will be delivered in bulk to exchange depots where they will be stored and sorted before being delivered in batches to cylinder exchange terminals where customers can register and pay for any quantity for both domestic and commercial consumption.

“Specialised 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”.

According to Mr. Okudzeto, the program had been successfully piloted, the system had been streamlined, and the infrastructure had been put in place to ensure the safe delivery and use of LPG throughout the operational areas. He added that registration with the Ghana card at the exchange points was necessary to have data on consumers for traceability.

“The NPA commissioned a pilot programme with the existing infrastructure. The pilot programme was done in the Eastern Region around the Kwaebibem area, 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,” he said.

Four CRM Bottling facilities, including the Blue Ocean and Newgas facilities as well as the GOIL Bottling Plant in Tema and Kumasi, were ready to launch, according to Mr. Okudzeto.

The cylinders will be produced and supplied statewide by the APPEB Cylinder Manufacturing Company in Awutu Senya, SIGMA Cylinder Manufacturing Company in Accra, and the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company at Spintex. All three companies are prepared for the deployment.

“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,” Mr Okudjeto stressed.