Accra, Aug. 6, GNA - The Ministry of Energy on Wednesday announced that it has identified a number of projects to improve delivery of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as the most competitive and cleaner fuel option to rural dwellers.

Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, Minister of Energy, named two of the projects as the Bushfill Project and the Decentralised LPG Storage Depots. Dr Ndoum made the announcement in a speech read for him at the opening of a two-day workshop in Accra on the challenges of making LPG as a cleaner fuel alternative to rural dwellers.

Mr Dan Amoah, Director of Petroleum of the Energy Ministry, read Dr Ndoum's speech at the workshop, which the United Nations Development Programme was jointly organising with World LPG Association, on the theme "LPG Rural Energy Challenge- Fuelling Sustainable Development." He said, under the under the Bushfill project, 1000 kilogramme LPG tanks fitted with hand-operated pumps would be sited at strategic locations.

Consumers would be supplied with the two-kilogramme cylinders and locally manufactured cookstoves, and would then fill their cylinders at the locations.

With the Decentralised LPG Storage Depot Project, LPG Storage Depots would be strategically located throughout the country.

Mr Amoah, the Petroleum Director, later told the GNA that the LPG Storage Depot Project would start immediately after the construction of the Buipe-Bolgatanga Petroleum Pipeline Project, which he said, would take off after next October under a Korean Government funding.

Dr Ndoum said, of the three sources of energy of petroleum, electricity and wood-fuel, wood fuel alone constituted about 70 per cent, with a resultant alarming depletion of the nation's forest reserves. He noted that Government intervened with the initiation of the LPG Promotion Programme but however, said although the Programme was successful in terms of growth and demand, patronage was skewed massively to urban areas.

"It is for this reason that the Ministry is pleased to associate itself with the theme of this workshop-the LPG Energy Challenge- and commend the organisers for setting up the forum to discuss the subject, which had been the Ministry's concern in recent times.

Dr Ndoum reiterated the commitment of Government to make LPG available at affordable prices to all sectors of the economy, especially rural dwellers.

He said the five main policy objectives of the LPG policy were LPG production, affordable pricing of LPG with about 50 percent subsidy, LPG distribution and supply chain, public education on safe handling of LPG, and the manufacture and installation of LPG infrastructure and accessories.

The Energy Minister spoke of Government's huge investment in promoting the use of LPG and urged the participants-from the Ministries, energy experts, oil marketing companies, financial institutions and consumer groups-to formulate strategies that would stimulate more private sector investment and help elevate the LPG industry to a superior level.

Mr Alfred Sallia Fawundu, the UNDP Resident Representative, said poor rural communities suffered from insufficient energy supplies and from localised environmental degradation and health problems caused by air pollution, particularly in the use of firewood.

He said despite modest reduction in the chlorofluorocarbons, there was still the need to critically consider facilitating information dissemination for sustainable development and integrating national energy policies with economic, social and environmental goals.

There should also be equitable access to energy services with particular focus on energy needs for poor people, accelerating rural energy development and increasing the contribution of renewable energy mix of solar, wind and biomass.

Dr Kwame Ampofo, MP, South Dayi, chaired the opening ceremony of the workshop, which was one of six being held in six selected countries- China, Honduras, South Africa, and Vietnam, Morocco and Ghana. It is under the first phase of activities of the LPG Rural Energy Challenge, of the WLPGA, to develop sustainable rural market for LPG world-wide.

Participants were discussing the available hardware and technical skills for the installation of maintenance of LPG, policy barriers to expanding markets and increasing the reach of distribution routes. After the deliberations, the workshop would come out with a workplan to suggest critical areas needing attention to make LPG more accessible to rural dwellers.

Participants would also go on a field trip to a local LPG marketing facility at Koforidua.