Blue Ocean LPG Bottling Plant has partnered with Puma Vitality Ghana to assist the federal government of Ghana’s clear cooking initiative and the secure transportation of liquefied petroleum fuel (LPG) by distributing greater than 1,025 cylinders to 6 native communities as a part of the plan to distribute over 15,000 cylinders by December 2024.
In sub-Saharan Africa, LPG is taken into account a vital part of the vitality combine, the place in accordance with the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA), an estimated 970 million persons are with out entry to wash cooking fuels and know-how and rely closely on wooden, charcoal and kerosene.
These contribute to poor air high quality and environmental degradation together with deforestation.
In accordance with the DGB Group, wooden stays the first supply of vitality for cooking and heating in lots of rural areas of Ghana.
The excessive demand for gasoline wooden has led to the indiscriminate chopping of bushes, significantly in areas with low forest protection inflicting deforestation.
In Ghana, using burning biomass for cooking has led to extend in childhood pneumonia and bronchial asthma leading to decrease respiratory tract an infection, which is related to inhaling smoke from conventional fuels, and the third main explanation for loss of life in Ghana, in accordance with the Environmental Markets Lab (mLab).
The partnership between Puma Vitality and Blue Ocean is to foster entry to wash cooking offering modern options to low-income households that may not in any other case have entry to LPG.
These initiatives purpose to enhance the well being and environmental welfare of residents by transitioning them from conventional fuels like wooden and charcoal to cleaner, extra environment friendly LPG.
In accordance with the Ghana Statistical Companies’ 2022 Ghana Demographic and Well being Survey (GDHS) report, about 25% of households in Ghana use clear gasoline and applied sciences for cooking.
The federal government is due to this fact actively selling LPG use and goals to succeed in a 50% penetration goal by 2030.
Blue Oceans’ cylinder distribution course of aligns with the Nationwide Petroleum Authority (NPA)-led Cylinder Recirculation Mannequin (CRM) undertaking to extend entry to wash vitality for cleaner cooking.
Its state-of-the-art bottling facility ensures effectivity and security. An automatic, telescopic conveying channel strikes empty cylinders by the numerous phases of the bottling course of which incorporates all the things from degreasing and strain washing to weight checking, programming, leak detection and shrink-wrapping.
The automated 18-head carousel fills 1200 cylinders together with 3, 6, 12.5, and 14 kg per hour.
Moreover, the plant accommodates a guide filling set up that may fill 36 and 52 kg cylinders and acts as a standby ought to the automated system fail, at all times guaranteeing 100percentoperability.
Over 60 Puma Vitality stores and 40 neighborhood alternate centres will function distribution centres to deploy over 15,000 stuffed cylinders of varied sizes. Presently, the stuffed cylinders have been deployed to Puma Vitality’s retail service stations in Nmai Dzorn, Adentan, Kissehman, amongst different locations.
Additional distribution is predicted to be carried out throughout communities in rural and concrete areas in 11 areas by the tip of 2024.
Zwelithini Mlotshwa, Normal Supervisor of Puma Vitality Ghana, an affiliate of Blue Ocean Investments, emphasised the worth of the partnership and the contribution of the partnership to enabling Puma Vitality’s dedication to the clear cooking initiative.
“As companions on this programme, we’re dedicated to enabling entry to wash cooking to enhance the well-being of unserved communities. We consider that by lowering family reliance on dangerous conventional cooking fuels, we are able to make a constructive impression on each folks’s well being and the atmosphere,” he mentioned.
The plant ensures security and accessibility, it’s a fine addition to vitality effectivity in Ghana and makes it attainable to implement the Cylinder Recirculation Mannequin (CRM) undertaking, mentioned Michael S. Kyeremanteng, the Operations Supervisor, Blue Ocean LPG Bottling Plant.
The Puma Vitality Clear Cooking Initiative seeks to drive the Nationwide Petroleum Authority’s low-income African communities entry to inexpensive, accessible and clear cooking alternate options.
The programme goals to extend LPG accessibility particularly, and lift data of the benefits of clear cooking.
Alongside governments, personal sector corporations, worldwide organisations and civil society, Puma Vitality joined the Clear Cooking Declaration on the Worldwide Vitality Company’s (IEA) Summit on Clear Cooking in Africa in Paris in Might 2024, a dedication to creating 2024 the pivotal 12 months for clear cooking.
By collaborating within the declaration, Puma Vitality pledged to take concrete steps in direction of advancing the clear cooking agenda, by motion on the bottom, elevating consciousness, and fostering higher collaboration among the many key stakeholders.