Michael S. Regan, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator tours the LPG bottling facility
Accra, February 1, 2024. Puma Energy Ghana, a leading energy company, has reiterated its commitment to enabling access to energy and specifically clean cooking solutions as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Michael S. Regan, visited its affiliate LPG (liquified petroleum gas) bottling facility.
The visit, attended by Mr. Michael S. Regan, the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer, was aimed at familiarising them with Puma Energy Ghana’s LPG operations and the important role it plays in enabling access to LPG in Ghana.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 970 million people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), LPG plays a vital role in the energy mix. Many households rely on solid fuels such as wood and charcoal, or kerosene, leading to environmental and health hazards. Household air pollution, predominantly from cooking smoke, is linked to 2.5 million premature deaths globally, while the use of wood also contributes to deforestation.
Puma Energy provides safe, reliable, and affordable energy solutions across sub-Saharan African Africa, and is encouraging the transition to cleaner cooking fuels and solar power. Its commitment to enabling access to lower carbon-emitting fuels is evidenced by the companys recent acquisition of Zambian-based Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) supplier OGAZ, and its purchase of a 49 percent stake in MBHE, which provides renewable energy project development, implementation, and maintenance across southern Africa. Both acquisitions will strengthen Puma Energys capacity across its key markets.
Puma Energys LPG strategy for the sub-Saharan Africa region is to ensure availability, accessibility, and affordability. This involves centralising supply management; setting up mobile cylinder-filling plants managed by local communities to bring the LPG closer to the end user; and working with regulators to allow consumers to buy LPG in small quantities that they can afford as they would charcoal, wood, or kerosene.
During the visit, Mr. Regan acknowledged the importance of enabling access to sustainable energy. “Access to clean and affordable energy is essential for economic development, reducing poverty, and mitigating the effects of climate change,” said Administrator Regan. “Cleaner cooking solutions are not just better for the environment, they are better for your health.
Commenting on the company’s commitment to enabling clean cooking, Mr. Zwelithini Mlotshwa, General Manager of Puma Energy Ghana, said, “LPG is a safe, convenient and cost-effective way to energise our communities; to enable cleaner cooking and reduce the negative impacts of burning traditional cooking fuels. Beyond domestic use, LPG is a vital energy source for commercial and industrial applications, including in hotels, restaurants, hospitals schools, and shopping malls.”
U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer, emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ” It’s essential to invest in clean cooking solutions. Working together with government entities and stakeholders, we can create positive change and improve the lives and health of the Ghanaian people,” Ambassador Palmer said.
Puma Energys LPG bottling plant located in Tema is a US$6 million, state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to deliver 1200 cylinders of various sizes per hour. It adheres to strict health and safety standards, ensuring the production of high-quality LPG for domestic and commercial use. The plant will enable the rollout of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) initiative in line with the Ghanaian governments agenda to encourage the use of LPG to attain a penetration target of 50% by 2030, ensure safety, and accessibility, and improve energy efficiency.
Puma Energy Ghanas LPG offering complements the solarisation of 10 retail sites and the rollout of solar energy offerings to industrial and commercial customers. It is also developing its LNG business in Ghana.
