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Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
LEADING gas and welding products supplier, BOC Gases Zimbabwe has set sights on expanding its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) handling facility in Bulawayo to meet growing demand of the energy source.

Demand for LPG has significantly increased in Zimbabwe over the years due to electricity load shedding since the turn of the millennium and high grid power costs.

BOC Gases Zimbabwe’s safety, health, environment and quality manager, Mr Tawanda Nherera, said the company was looking forward to expanding its LPG storage facility in the Westgate Industrial area.

“We want to grow the market in Bulawayo and make gas cheaper. We import gas from South Africa, it comes to Harare then we transport it to Bulawayo.

Therefore, gas in Bulawayo will be a bit on the expensive side so it makes sense for us to make gas cheaper for clients in Bulawayo.

“We want to improve business activity in Bulawayo hence we want to move from six tonnes to 36 tonnes capacity in Bulawayo,” said Mr Nherera.

In its environment and social impact assessment stakeholder consultation public notice BOC Gases said: “The project location is consistent with Bulawayo City’s Master Plan that provides for strategic location of related industrial sectors within the same area. In addition to the Bulawayo City’s fire management strategy for the Westgate Industrial area, BOC Gases has conducted a risk assessment and management measures have been included in the project designs, which include local site selection, leak detection system and fire emergence plan with the participation of all stakeholders”.

Mr Nherera said there was no shortage of LPG in the country since the market is saturated due to the presence of a number of players.

“We are managing to meet the needs of the market. There is no shortage of gas in Harare or in Bulawayo or anywhere because there are many players in the industry and this facilitates for cheaper gas,” he said.

LPG is an odourless gas, clean, safe and eco-friendly source of energy made from crude oil and is a mixture of butane and propane. The mixture is pressurised to 700kPa to form a liquid while one of its volume forms 270 volumes of gas. LPG burns easier and more efficiently than all the other fuels without producing smoke.

LPG is classified as a carcinogen or mutagen. Countries such as Mauritius have successfully made a transition from wood to LPG as a household fuel.

@DNsingo