LPG Usage And Its Safety

LPG is an abbreviation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, which is a mixture of propane and butane.

- Engr. Ali Iqbal Md. Nurullah

It is commonly used for cooking and heating in both households and commercial settings. LPG is relatively clean and efficient, other than natural gas. But it poses several safety risks if not properly handled or maintained.

In Bangladesh, indigenous LPG is a very small amount, which is produced in Eastern Refinery Ltd, Chattogram, and partly in Sylhet Gas Fields, Sylhet, from the byproduct of natural gas liquids (NGL). Total production of Bangladesh as of today is 20,000 tonnes per year. But the current size of the market in Bangladesh is 1.5 million tonnes every year. Bangladesh’s LPG market will reach three (03) million metric tonnes by 2030 from its current size of demand. In the fiscal year 2022-23, 15,215 tonnes of LPG were imported to Bangladesh through the private sector. Most of them were imported from Qatar, Kuwait & Iran.

Private companies mainly lead Bangladesh's LPG industry. There are 58 licensed LPG companies in the country, though only 28 of these businesses are active. These companies serve the market with the help of over 3,000 dealers and 38,000 retailers. The country's two largest importers and distributors are Bashundhara and Omera. Their gas plants have a capacity of 3,000 metric tonnes and 3,800 metric tonnes, respectively. On the contrary, the government plans to set up two LPG bottling plants in coastal areas soon to enhance bottling facilities of imported LPG, considering the increasing demand for Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). As speculated, each plant will have a capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes per year.

Pricing of LPG