Ghana Gas is set to establish a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plant at Axim in the Nzema East municipality of the Western Region.
Modelled on the cylinder re-circulation module, the project, situated on a 64-acre land, would produce 2,400 LPG bottles per day to tackle gas explosions which had claimed lives and properties; boost gas supply for both industrial and domestic markets; and also provide a critical catalyst in the industrialisation drive in the Western Region.
Already, the technical designs and requirements have been completed with the scope including LPG storage tanks, offloading tanks for LPG mobile tucks, maintenance building for testing of cylinders, installations for fire and water tanks, loading bays and automatic cylinder filling hall and parking lots for bullet trucks.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony on Wednesday at Axim, the General Manager of Ghana Gas, Robert Asmah, said the company this month (October) began the journey to establishing the plant in Axim, which is expected to be completed in 2021.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) gave the clearance for the establishment of the plant after feasibility studies proved that Axim was a suitable location for the project, he said.
Mr Asmah mentioned that the plant, which will complement the circulation model of LPG and also consolidate the LPG value chain, would ensure health and safety of businesses, especially for long-distance factories, while producing clean and environmentally-friendly products by 2030.
The project, he added, was also to prevent explosion of gas in Ghana, assuring the public that Ghana Gas had been licensed to build and operate the LPG bottling plant to serve the Western, Western North and Central regions.
“When completed, the bottling plant would provide direct and indirect jobs for citizens in this area. We thank the NPA and chiefs for the release of the land,” he added.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who cut the sod, noted that the project was a bold step to transform the economy of Axim and its environs and also propel development, which would ensure job creation and earning of incomes.
“Axim, you’re very lucky. God has blessed you, especially at this time that we are working hard to improve the lives of Ghanaians. Yes, development, but, it’s a gradual process. We will continue to work hard and maintain the momentum,” he said.
He continued, “The region has seen the sea defence project, the fishing harbour, the improvement of the Victoria Park, cocoa district project, the 109-km town roads, the stadium, which is one out of the 10 in the country, and, today you have the LPG bottling plant. That’s the new policy of the NPP government.”
Dr Bawumia explained that the idea of creating bottling plants across the country followed the gas explosion at Haatso in Accra in recent times and also to make it less risky to distribute LPG products.
Ghana, he argued, needed a new breed of leadership to radically change the economic structure and philosophy of governance to inject more impetus into an economy that would generate more money for the citizenry, stressing that “we need a change and that’s what President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is doing.”
“Our first term is in first gear; give us four more for Nana and we’ll engage the second gear straight away. Let’s continue with this our sweet marriage, grow the economy and improve growth with our good initiatives and programmes. We have started and we will do more. Indeed, we’ll get there.”
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, AXIM