The Tema Oil Refinery has commissioned two additional storage tanks for liquified petroleum Gas.

Each new facility has a capacity of 3,000 cubic metric tonnes, bringing the total capacity in addition to the five tanks already constructed, to 7,000 tonnes.

TOR says the facilities will help address recent inadequate supply of Gas in the system.

Over the past few weeks most Gas filling stations in the country have run out of Gas.

Most domestic Gas users and vehicle drivers using Gas are frustrated by the situation.

TV3 correspondent Adel Kwesi Majdoub reports that since its introduction, most Ghanaians have come to embrace and prefer using liquified petroleum gas.

But the smooth, economical and convenient advantage of using LPG is undermined when there is a shortage of the product.

For the past two weeks, most Gas filling depots seem to have run out of LPG, frustrating customers who feel inconvenienced.

Most of the stations had displayed signs clearly indicating the unavailability of liquified petroleum gas.

A search to find Gas in the city of Accra, took us to Louis Gas Station, the only station which fortunately had gas, but the situation there was hectic.

A lot of people had queued up with empty gas cylinders since the early hours of the morning.

Cars which use liquified petroleum gas were parked at the depot.

Most taxi drivers, frustrated by the situation, said they were finding it very difficult to cope.

They urged authorities responsible to do everything possible to ensure gas is made available immediately.

The latest addition of two storage tanks will enable TOR to increase import parcel sizes to about 4,000 tonnes from the current 2,500 metric tonnes.

Managing director of TOR, Dr Kofi Kondua Sarpong told TV3, the recent delivery of 1,041 metric tonnes of gas is the highest stock so far at the refinery.

He said gas will be delivered for both domestic and commercial use with the arrival of ships at the end of this week.

For sometime now, shortage of LPG has hit the Tema and Accra metropolis, with only a few outlets selling the product.

TOR management also attributed the shortage to the inability of the national petroleum authority to make advance orders to lift the product by selected LPG suppliers.

Within the same period, TOR notified N.P.A to import enough gas since machines at the refinery had to be shut down for routine maintenance and refurbishment of generators for a period of two weeks.

Management of TOR described the shortage as unfortunate and said the N.P.A act does not permit the refinery to import finished goods under the re-deregulation programme.

Distribution manager of TOR, Andrews Baafi said 60 to 70 percent of the consignment will be supplied to Tema and Accra and the rest delivered to other regions.

Gas tankers at the refinery's loading bay were lifting the product for distribution to various depots.

However most gas filling stations we visited in the Tema municipality had not yet received their consignments.

TV3 News    02-08-2007