Liquigas says it is raising standards in gas distribution

Liquigas, the company which had taken over responsibility for the sales and distribution of LPG (bottled gas) has announced initiatives to improve safety.

In a statement issued this morning, the company said it had embarked on a process to facilitate the use of LPG in Malta and upgrade it to international standards.

"Last year, Liquigas took over responsibility for the sales and distribution of LPG. Enemalta is still responsible for the operation of the Gas Division Plant in Qajjenza and the filling of gas cylinders, until we build the new state-of-the-art LPG storage and filling plant in Benghajsa," said Roberto Capelluto, Liquigas Malta’s CEO.

New seals

As from this month, Liquigas introduced a new sealing system on LPG cylinders. The green seals can only be mechanically installed at Enemalta's LPG filling plant at Qajjenza.

Apart from their safety feature and the elimination of tampering, these quality green seals do not come off the cylinder valve before the customer actually decides to make use of that cylinder. Furthermore, a green seal is no longer re-useable once taken off a cylinder.

New cylinders and valves

Liquigas said that in November it introduced 15,000 new 12 kg cylinders and another three hundred 25 kg cylinders. A further 10,000 new 12 kg cylinders were placed on the market in March 2010. These new cylinders are in the distinct Liquigas' green color; ultimately all Liquigas cylinders will be green in color.

Since February last year, Liquigas also financed 45,000 new cylinder valves. In the meantime, batches of existing cylinders are regularly being sent to Italy for retesting according to EU and local regulations.

New regulators

Liquigas is also introducing a new regulator, known as Liquicontrol Malta. It is designed to be attached on the valves of cylinders supplied by Liquigas, safely and easily, just by turning the ‘on/off' knob.

Made of plastic material, the Liquigas green-coloured regulator is produced according to UNI EN 12864 regulations.

"The fact that it is made of plastic offers two fundamental advantages. The plastic encasement does not corrode. Secondly, in case of overheating or fire, the internal part of the regulator melts down, thus automatically closing the cylinder valve and trapping the gas inside," the company said.

The display on top of Liquicontrol is equipped with a red gauge to indicate that there is gas pressure in the cylinder. The red gauge will disappear only in case of leakages. The regulator ensures a constant gas flow, irrespective of the cylinder pressure. It can also be used on other equipment, like barbecues, gas heaters and similar appliances, which require a higher LPG flow.

The company in its statement made no reference to gas prices, despite reports, confirmed by the Malta Resources Authority, that it has applied for an upward revision.