DPR shuts nine LPG plants over ‘illegal’ operations

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has shut nine Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants in Lagos state over illegal operations.

Olubunmi Ogundare, DPR’s assistant director of operations, Lagos zonal office, on Friday, said the move is part of the agency’s oversight duty of monitoring activities of companies operating within the industry across the value chain.

The agency said the affected cooking gas plants did not comply with the prerequisite safety standards. 

Ogundare said the sealed gas plants are located at Idimu, Ikotun Egbe, Ipaja and Igando axis in Alimosho LGA of the state.

The DPR official said the LPG plants were shut for various reasons, including operating within densely populated areas and other unapproved locations for gas business.

She said three persons were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) which collaborated with the DPR in the exercise.

“Those identified illegal LPG facilities contravened the DPR guidelines for the establishment of LPG refilling plants and retailers outlets in Nigeria,” she said.

“You cannot operate LPG plant without applying for pertinent approval from DPR.

“For you to get this approval, you must go through three phases which take place in stages from setting up the LPG facility, construction and 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.”

Ogundare disclosed that a total of 59 illegal gas plants had been sealed by the DPR from January to June.

She said the surveillance would help to

sanitise LPG facilities in Lagos state by enforcing standards in their operations.

The DPR urged Nigerians to report any illegal and unsafe LPG facility within their locality to DPR for necessary action.

On July 6, DPR sealed off 103 filling stations and 13 LPG plants in Lagos for alleged illegal operations.

Two days later, the agency sealed 30 filling stations and eight LPG outlets for a similar reason in Akwa Ibom.

The DPR had charged managers of LPG plants and fuel stations to ensure safety in their facilities.