By Ubong Sampson – Uyo
Nine Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants in Lagos state have been shut by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) over illegal operations.
This was part of the agency’s oversight duty of monitoring activities of companies operating within the industry across the value chain, according to Olubunmi Ogundare, DPR’s Assistant Director of Operations, Lagos zonal office, on Friday.
According to Ogundare, the shut plants had failed to comply with the safety standards required for the operation of such facility.
The plants shut are located at Igando, Igando, Ikotun Egbe and Ipaja all in Alimosho LGA of the state.
Ogundate gave various reasons for the action against the operators which included operating within densely populated areas and other unapproved locations for gas business.
She also hinted on the arrest of three persons by officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) which collaborated with the DPR in the exercise, stressing further that those identified illegal LPG facilities contravened the DPR guidelines for the establishment of LPG refilling plants and retailers outlets in Nigeria.
“You cannot operate LPG plant without applying for pertinent approval from DPR. To get this approval, you must go through three phases which take place in stages from setting up the LPG facility, construction and thr final commencement of operations.
“The three approvals are site suitability, approval to construct and licence to operate. If you don’t have these pertinent approvals, you are not supposed to operate an LPG facility in Nigeria”, she added
While disclosing that a total of 59 illegal gas plants had been sealed by the DPR from January to June, she added that the surveillance would help to sanitise LPG facilities in Lagos state by enforcing standards in their operations, while further urging Nigerians to report any illegal and unsafe LPG facility within their locality to the DPR for timely necessary action.
