By Dominic Ochola
The Government has signed a Supply and Purchase Agreement with Global Gases Group to establish a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage facility and cylinder manufacturing and filling plants.
The facility, set to be constructed in Luzira by 2026, aims to boost LPG usage across the country. It will produce 500,000 cylinders of various sizes (3 kg, 6 kg, and 12 kg) annually for Ugandan consumers and an additional 2 million cylinders for the East African Community market over the next 20 years.
Eng. Irene Pauline Bateebe, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, stated that this investment will help mitigate climate change impacts and promote clean energy cooking nationwide.
Initially, the government will fill the cylinders through petrol stations before distributing them to regional offices or branches. Accessories will be financed through poverty mapping conducted via Local Council structures.
Eng. Bateebe emphasized the need to increase LPG uptake in Uganda, where current consumption stands at about 35,000 tons, compared to Kenya’s 350,000 tons and Tanzania’s 250,000 tons within the East African Community bloc.
Deepak Mehta, Founder and CEO of Global Gases Group, noted that his company is already involved in producing oxygen gas for hospitals in Uganda and plans to start biogas and fertilizer production from cow dung in Mbarara City.
He highlighted that the establishment of LPG infrastructure in Uganda, a journey that began in 2022, will reduce tree-cutting and enhance the adoption of clean cooking technologies.
Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development who presided over the agreement signing at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda’s offices in Entebbe on Friday, stressed the importance of adopting LPG usage as an environmental imperative. She encouraged those still hesitant about cooking with LPG to embrace this necessary change.
In July 2022, the Ministry of Energy launched the distribution of LPG starter kits in Buggu-Zone, Busabala Parish, and Makindye Ssaabagabo, targeting over one million beneficiaries.
LPG is renowned for its cleanliness, versatility, affordability, efficiency, portability, environmental friendliness, and long-term sustainability. It is widely used in industries to heat ovens and kilns and to power heavy machinery like forklifts.
This initiative aligns with Uganda’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP), a strategic roadmap for developing and modernizing the energy sector, aiming for universal access to modern energy and supporting the country’s sustainable economic transformation.
Uganda officially launched its ETP at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, which marked the conclusion of the first ‘global stocktake’ of efforts to combat climate change.
