NPA reviews Petroleum Act to meet international standards

National Petroleum Authority (NPA) says it is reviewing the Petroleum Act to meet international standards, demands and expectations.

Dr Mustapha Hamid, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPA, said the review was necessary because certain limitations had been identified in Act 691, 2005, which regulated and ensured safety standards in the petroleum sector.

Established in 2005, the NPA is responsible to regulate, monitor and oversee the downstream petroleum industry, covering importation, storage, and distribution of the country’s entire petroleum value chain.

Dr Mustapha Hamid said this when he interacted with journalists in Sunyani to begin his five-day working visit to the Bono Region to enable him and other key staff of the Authority to familiarise and interact with industry players.

The visit would also pave the way for the CEO to access first-hand information on activities, facilities and infrastructure in the sector.

Dr Mustapha Hamid said rapid changes in the petroleum sector had necessitated and demanded amendments in some provisions in Act 691 to prevent fuel adulteration and ensuring high quality products and services.

He said the Authority, since its establishment, had made incremental progress in perfecting the regulatory regime and frameworks to ‘police’ the industry to meet international best practices and standards.

The industry, which initially had about 20 oil marketing companies (OMCs), now had more than 200, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas, an indication of an exponential growth in the downstream petroleum sector, he said.

Over the years, Dr Hamid said the Authority had worked hard to ensure high and quality standards through the introduction of the electric cargo tracking and the automatic tank gauging systems, among other interventions.  

“It is the responsibility of the Authority to regulate the industry and ensure petroleum products delivered to the final consumer are efficiently authenticated,” he said, adding that companies who fell short of the set minimum benchmark are sanctioned.

He called on the municipal and district assemblies to collaborate with the relevant institutions and regulatory bodies to ensure fuel filling stations were set up in a hazardous-free environment.

The use of gallons and bottles to buy petroleum products were out-lawed, he said.

He further cautioned pump attendants against such dangerous practices.