Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) will control cooking gas prices from the beginning of September as a new liquefied petroleum gas law comes into effect.
Speaking in Maun on Monday this week, the parastatal’s Commercial Manager in the Petroleum and Gas Department, Batsumi Rankokwane said the price regulation will ensure fair competition in the gas business as well as protecting consumers from inflated prices.
“For a long time this business industry has been operating without boundaries and the law will prohibit filling of gas at random and retail places. This is for safety reasons,” added Rankokwane.
BERA was in Maun where it held a kgotla meeting to discuss the new law with residents and open their eyes to new business opportunities.
“With the new law, filling of gas cylinders will only be done at wholesale level,” explained Rankokwane.
He pointed out that prices will be regulated to protect the retailers and consumers and create fair competition among operators.
The retail of gas, according to BERA, is preserved for citizens while the wholesale business side is open to all.
Currently the country has five wholesalers, which are all based the capital city Gaborone, with branches in the second city, Francistown.
The main wholesalers include: Tswana Gas, Afrox, Easi Gas, Simsa Gas and Air Liquid.
BERA was therefore encouraging Batswana to make use of these opportunities and trade in gas.
Among the requirements for getting a licence to produce gas are that applicants need to comply with applicable environmental laws and safety standards related to a facility as appropriate.
They need to carry out an environmental assessment before establishing a facility or making a major improvement to an existing facility and have to ensure that all necessary measures are in place to prevent pollution that may result from the operation.