The implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) has picked up speed with the recent dispatch of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to exchange points.

On June 7, 2024, the Blue Ocean Bottling Plant in Tema, with a capacity to fill 1,200 cylinders per hour, sent out its first batch of cylinders.

The exchange points receiving these cylinders include Puma Retail Stations at East Legon, Madina, Nmai Dzorn, Kisseman, Agbogba, and Pantang.

The company's management announced that more cylinders would be rolled out in the coming days across Accra and Kumasi, to establish 100 exchange centres by the end of the year.

"This is the first dispatch of cylinders from the Blue Ocean Bottling Plant since its construction in 2017 in Tema ahead of the implementation of CRM," the management stated.

For easy identification and traceability, Blue Ocean cylinders are distinguished by their blue colour.

Meanwhile, the chiefs and people of the Ashanti and Western North Regions have shown readiness to welcome the CRM, a flagship initiative of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) for the distribution of LPG, particularly for domestic use.

This readiness follows months of intensive stakeholder engagements and public sensitization by NPA officers to increase awareness of the policy and secure public support.

This week, NPA officers from the Corporate Affairs and Gas Directorates conducted public engagements in Western North and greater Kumasi, visiting Sefwi Wiawso, Sefwi Bekwai, Bibiani, Anhwiawso, and Kumasi.

These activities culminated in a town hall meeting at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi, chaired by Asonaba Boadu, Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Goil Dealers Association.

The event was attended by LPG dealers, GPRTU representatives, traditional authorities, market women, youth groups, and the general public.

In a speech read on behalf of the Ashanti Regional Minister by Oforikrom MCE Hon. Abraham Kwame Antwi, he praised the NPA for the CRM implementation and urged the public to embrace it, expressing satisfaction that one of the four bottling plants is located in the Ashanti Region.

Dr Joseph Wilson, Director for Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the NPA, delivered the keynote address on behalf of Chief Executive Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, stating that the project aims to achieve 50% LPG access for Ghanaians by 2030, up from the current 37%.

He emphasised that the CRM will enhance safety in LPG distribution and make it more accessible to the public.

Obed Kraine Boachie, Head of Gas at the NPA, provided a demonstration of the recirculation model and, along with the team, answered participants' questions and addressed their concerns.

The NPA team included Dr Joseph Wilson, Saed Ubeidallah (Head of Quality Control), Obed Boachie (Head of Gas-Commercial), Mrs Betty Nana Adwoa Ofori (Ashanti Regional Manager, NPA), Mrs Eunice Budu Nyarko (Head of Consumer Service), Abdul Kudus Mohammed (Head of Communications), and Aku Yuiah (Head of Regional Coordination).