Restricted mainstream energy supply leads to LPG growth

Shortcomings in sustainable energy supply from State-owned power utility Eskom are regarded as a big contributor to the substantial growth of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market, says gas equipment company African Gas Equipment MD Andries Henning.

“The LPG industry has not received much support from government up to now and remains just about completely self-driven. As a result, companies like ours react quickly to market demands in terms of technology, supply chain sustainability and the provision of solutions that make a positive contribution to the sustainability of our customers’ businesses,” he explains.

Therefore, product quality, reliability and suitability are important, as the products and equipment that are supplied to the customers need to be safe and user friendly, Henning mentions.

With safety being an important aspect of its LPG business, African Gas Equipment believes that it is important to comply with relevant industry standards.

“We contribute to the tabling of national standards in the gas industry – on LPG and natural gas, which then form part of the South African Bureau of Standards for the gas industry. Owing to this, compliance is not negotiable for us, as we believe standards exist to ensure safety and efficiency,” states Henning.

Moreover, with the demand for gas as an alternative to electricity steadily increasing, the Department of Labour (DoL) has become one of the participants in the standards working groups that formulate standards for industry.

“The DoL also participates at higher levels of governance, such as standards technical committees, which are hosted by the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Association of South Africa and the Southern African Gas Association,” Henning points out.

He adds that this is an exciting development that shows that government is steadily taking note of gas as an alternative energy source for the South African market.

African Gas Equipment is an equipment supplier to the LPG market and provides equipment for boilers, bulk storage vessels, electrical vaporisers and pressure-reducing stations.

Henning indicates that the company has a range of equipment and solutions to further support installations such as gas detectors and gas metering solutions.

When gas is piped directly to a customer’s boiler unit, the company specifies the pressure-reducing system before the gas enters the boiler unit, he explains.

Henning concludes that close cooperation between African Gas Equipment and its suppliers is important to ensure the correct technical solutions are provided, which will secure the success of the client’s plant and operations.