Gas safety highlighted during summit as energy demand grows

Using gas safely as a form of energy was highlighted during the Gas Safety and Compliance Summit, held in February, at the Royal Elephant Hotel and Conference Centre, in Eldoraigne, and hosted by the Southern African Gas Association (Saga).

During the summit, compliance with safety protocols across all industry sectors was highlighted as a vital preventive measure, as well as a tool to help reduce mismanagement, collusion and corruption.

According to Saga, the demand for gas as an energy source is showing unprecedented growth. Compliance thus becomes paramount and will ensure that standards are maintained as new infrastructure projects are completed in Southern Africa.

Guest speaker Professor Mervyn King’s presentation covered the overarching global movement towards integrated reporting and social consciousness. National Energy Regulator of South Africa senior engineer Vusimuzi Zwane reiterated Saga’s long- standing policy on safety and compliance.

Sentiment during the summit indicated that, for the piped-gas industry, the aspects of handling gas, gas installations and gas safety can no longer be considered in silos and now impact directly on company reputation and profitability. Unlike the previous decade, only 20% of a company’s value now lies in its assets, with 80% attributed to future wealth, community reputation, digital footprint and innovation.

Key issues raised included the published revision of the Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER). To assist with the regulations, guidance notes were developed to assist industry in understanding issues around compliance and to reinforce the regulations.

Some of the introduced guidelines could become regulations in a future revision of the PER currently being worked on. Fundamental improvements have been made in the revised version, especially to Regulation 17.