ERC to make piped gas mandatory for new real estate projects

Workers arrange cooking gas cylinders at a depot in Nyeri Town. [File, Standard]

Real estate developers might soon be required to include infrastructure for distribution of cooking gas within new housing projects. This will facilitate delivery of the fuel to every household through a piped gas system.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it is working on a plan that would require firms building gated communities to include piped gas systems, which will be similar to supply of other essential services such as electricity and water.

Such a system would have a central bulk storage facility and pipes to individual houses that would then be fitted with metres to measure the monthly consumption of gas. It would be operated by a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) marketer, which in addition to refiling gas would also be charged with safety of the system.

ERC Acting Director General Pavel Oimeke said in addition to convenience that such systems would offer households, it would also enhance safety as handling of gas would be by professionals. This is opposed to the scenario today where gas cylinders pass through a chain of people, some with little knowledge on handling LPG.

“In future, we will have it is a requirement among gated communities to have reticulated gas. We are not yet there but that is what we are looking at in the long term,” he said.

“There is storage in places like gated communities and residents do not need to exchange cylinders but have metred piped gas to individual houses just like water or electricity. Once the gas is low, it will alert the vendors to come and refill. The system also eliminates challenges that consumers grapple with such as illegally refilled cylinders.”

There are such systems in the country but operated by large companies that are huge consumers of LPG. Oimeke added that the Commission is already reviewing proposals by a number of firms that are looking at setting up reticulated gas systems in gated communities.

Standard requirements

“We have had expressions of interest from about three companies. We are currently working with the Kenya Bureau of Standards on the standard requirements,” said Oimeke.

He also said the Commission is evaluating the possibility of undertaking a similar initiative but scaled to fit other settlements such as flats and even low income settlements.

“We also want to look at small quantities where for instance we have storage units for instance of 50 kilogrammes that can supply gas to several houses that are in close proximity and the setting allows for easy fitting of the piping system. This is still in early stages and we have not licensed anyone as we are still looking at how it can be done especially considering the safety aspects,” he said.