The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketers Association says its members will fully cooperate with the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to facilitate the lifting of the suspension of new gas retail outlets.

This follows an appeal to government to expedite action on the lifting of the ban on the new LPG retail outlets by the National Petroleum Authority, to enable operators of LPG stations recoup their investments.

Media reports had indicated that GH¢60 million investments into building of about 100 LPG retail outlets before the 2017 Atomic junction gas explosion in Accra, is expected to go down the drain if the ban on new LPG retail points is not lifted.

The LPG Marketers Association have since confirmed the reports.

“We've been calling on NPA for the past one year to consider granting us the permit so that we can complete these stations [LPG retail outlets] and get them running, so our members can recoup their investments that they've made. So we can give some employment to our youth, so we can contribute to nation building by paying taxes, so we can save our forest reserves from further depletion and save our river bodies and also save the next generation”, Gabriel Kumi, Vice Chairman of LPG Marketers Association said.

“We’ve been knocking on the doors of the NPA for the past one year, but unfortunately that has not yielded positive results. So when the sector minister came to the seat, we decided to petition him, so that he can forward our petition to cabinet for cabinet to look at this for us. So we did that about a month ago, and we are yet to receive an official response from our minister”, he pointed out.

He however said they will continue to fully cooperate with the Energy Minister, adding, “we know he is quite busy, he’s now settling in a very very busy ministry and we will continue to give him some time.”

Before the Atomic junction gas explosion, 100 LPG retail outlets were under construction.

14 of the outlets had since been completed, awaiting permit to commence full scale operations. 21 had received fire permits, Environmental Protection Agency permit, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly Development permits, as well as NPA construction permit.