CS says Kilifi gas plant ready for opening amid safety concerns

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has given the Sh8 billion Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage facility in Kilifi County by Tanzanian firm Lake Gas a clean bill of health despite mounting safety concerns over the project.

The project has faced several hurdles, with both the community and the Kilifi County Government citing the firm’s failure to follow rules during the project development phase.

Environmentalists also say key safety components, including breakwater protections and proper discharge jetties, remain missing or untested. But CS Wandayi has allayed any such concerns, saying its completion would caution Kenyans from high gas prices by eliminating the monopoly in the market.

“The ultimate objective is to ensure the price of LPG is reduced because we believe LPG is currently overpriced in this country,” he said. The CS spoke on Saturday during a site visit to assess the preparedness of the Lake Gas facility for the arrival of the first vessel carrying 12,000 metric tonnes of LPG in a fortnight. “So if we open up this space for more people to bring in LPG gas, ultimately the forces of demand and supply will set in, and the price will be set to its equilibrium where it should be,” said Mr Wandayi.

The CS said the 25,000-metric-tonne LPG storage facility in Vipingo, Kilifi County, would ensure a steady supply of cooking gas to Kenyans at an affordable price.

Mr Wandayi said the government is committed to providing an enabling environment for the private sector to invest their money and to ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001517056/tanzania-firm-presses-on-with-kilifi-gas-plant-amid-safety-fears">create employment opportunities< for the youth. “The first vessel of the LPG will be arriving in two weeks, and that will mark the official opening of this facility. We anticipate 12,000 metric tonnes of LPG gas into the country in the next two weeks,” he said.

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro said that the plant would benefit the residents with employment opportunities and reduced gas prices.

“We have a lot of trainable youths, so work with the community and the county government,” said Mung’aro

Lake Gas Supply and Operation Manager Maurice Mutiso said the project is complete and ready for operations.