Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, said the nation has taken major steps towards the full implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Module (CRM) policy by 2030 with the commissioning of five auto gas stations across the country.

He said the opening of the facilities by GOIL PLC represented a major achievement in the country’s energy policy, which had been to adopt natural gas as a transition fuel for power generation and transportation.

The energy minister noted: “GOIL’s opening of these modern autogas stations is therefore in full alignment with Ghana’s just energy transition pathway to net-zero status.

Dr Opoku Prempeh stated this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, a Deputy Energy Minister at the commissioning ceremony held at the Burma Camp GOIL Service Station, Accra and simultaneously at five specific locations nationwide.

The five locations include the Cape Coast By-Pass in the Central Region, Kpeshie Service Station in the Greater Accra Region, and Kentinkrono, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The fifth, Paco Gas Station, in Takoradi in the Western Region, is going through the final approval processes by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

The Minister said the commissioning of this modern Auto Gas station marked a significant achievement in the implementation of the government’s energy policy as it pertained to the transport sector.

“It is also the expectation that the association of a trusted indigenous brand like GOIL with auto gas will enhance confidence in the use of gas for vehicle fueling and dispel any existing negative safety-related notions about the use of gas for transportation purposes,” he added.

He stressed that the establishment of more auto gas stations will catalyze the opening of businesses and services such as specialized retrofitting and servicing garages, which are necessary to support the gradual migration towards the use of gas to power vehicles.

Ms. Esther Anku, a Senior Programme Officer at the NPA, urged GOIL management to embrace technological innovations to deliver an unrivalled customer experience and maintain the safety measures in the facilities.

Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh, Group Chief Executive Officer of GOIL, in his remarks said as a leading oil marketing company, GOIL was constructing two Cylinder Bottling Plants, one in Kumasi and another in Tema, in addition to the five modern Auto Gas stations commissioned.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh, who is also the GOIL Managing Director, added that the commissioning of the facilities would strengthen and widen the company’s portfolio and consolidate gains already made in the LPG business.

He said, “As an indigenous company, GOIL will continue to do its business in the national interest and ensure that the safety of consumers always come first.”

He said the construction of the stations was in partnership with South Korea’s Yooju Engineering and Construction Limited.

Present at the ceremony were Mr. Patrick Kwame Apke Akorli, former Group CEO and MD of GOIL; Prof. Azumah Nelson, Brand Ambassador of GOIL; and Mrs. Faustina Nelson, former Board Members of GOIL.

Others include board members and management of GOIL Plc; Mr. Moses Asaga and Mr. Alhassan Tampuli, former CEOs of NPA, and Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Duah, Industry Coordinator of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies.

The rest include officials from COPEC, NPA, Ghana Standards Authority, Environmental Authority, Ghana National Fire Services, Factories, and Inspectorate Department, as well as some GOIL dealers and high-level military officers.