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Let us regulate LPG, says PUCSL

02 Dec 2021

  • Notes it has already formulated industry standard
BY Pamodi Waravita Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said yesterday (2) that the PUCSL is prepared to regulate the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry as it has already formulated a standard for it in September this year, including a new standard for the maximum percentage of propane that can be used in domestic LPG. “The LPG standard, developed under the supervision of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI), can be implemented immediately to ensure the protection of LPG consumers. However, the PUCSL does not have the legal powers to enforce the standard. The regulatory powers of the LPG market could be delegated to the PUCSL, by amending the Petroleum Products (Special Provisions) Act No. 33 of 2002 as amended, in order to expedite the protection of consumers,” Ratnayake said yesterday in a media statement. The statement further said that the new standard includes consumer safety requirements when using LPG cylinders, such as the maximum pressure of the gas cylinders, the maximum percentage of propane in domestic LPG, requirements to improve safety and specify markings such as net weight, and the test date of the cylinder to be mentioned on the surface of the cylinder. Allegations levelled against the gas industry claim that a 50:50 butane-to-propane gas composition is dangerous to be used in a country with temperatures such as those in Sri Lanka, and that this composition deviates from the usual 30% propane and 70% butane gas composition. Both Laugfs Gas PLC and Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. have stated that their gas composition falls within the 30% (propane) and 70% (butane) range, as per the test results that they have conducted. “There was a standard that had been prepared much earlier for LPG. Even that is not legalised or enforced yet. One of the reasons for not enforcing the standard is the lack of a regulatory body to regulate LPG. In 2002, the PUCSL was appointed to regulate the petroleum industry, including LPG. However, the PUCSL has not been legally empowered to regulate this area to date. In 2019, we started drafting standards for petroleum products together with the SLSI. We have already set standards for products such as petrol and diesel. These standards must be enforced to protect the consumer when using various petroleum-based products. Therefore, we see the need for an institution with regulatory powers to enforce these,” Ratnayake highlighted. The earlier standard of LPG (SLS 712 of 1998) provides a specification for the use of commercial propane and butane, propane and butane mixture, and special duty propane. However, it does not mandate any propane-to-butane ratio for domestic cooking. The LPG standard has been drafted in accordance with the procedures of the SLSI and the final draft is being prepared considering stakeholder comments and inputs received through the public consultation process.


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