The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has warned the public against the use of substandard and uncertified compressed natural gas cylinders.

The SON in a statement by its management on Saturday was reaction to news of the CNG Cylinder explosion at the NIPCO CNG Refuelling Station in Benin City, Edo State.

The statement noted, “The organisation commiserates with those affected by the incident. It is also pertinent to note that preliminary investigations revealed that the cylinder used to convert the vehicle does not comply with the CNG standards approved by the organisation. The organisation has robust and effective regulatory measures in place to ensure that all CNG equipment and conversion kits conform with approved standards before being certified for public use. The conformity assessment schemes are designed to prevent the import, manufacturing, and use of substandard products.’’

The SON said it was in collaboration with the Presidential Initiatives on CNG and other relevant government bodies to finalise the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System.

The statement indicated that the platform would provide centralised monitoring and surveillance of CNG systems, to ensure that only vehicles equipped with certified conversion kits could access gas at retail outlets.

“The NGVMS will also offer a database of approved CNG equipment and suppliers, which will go a long way in preventing substandard installations and further mitigate the associated risks. This initiative reassures the public that CNG safety is top priority and reaffirms SON’s commitment to ensuring the safe use of CNG in Nigeria. It also urges stakeholders to prioritise safety and recognise that LPG and other gas cylinders are not suitable for CNG containment,” the statement indicated. 

The SON said it was imperative to highlight the structural differences between the LPG and the CNG cylinders.

According to the statement, these are crucial to ensuring and maintaining safety under the high pressure associated with CNG vehicles.

It explained that the key difference was in pressure capacity and construction.

“The LPG cylinders have a working pressure of seven bars to withstand a test pressure of up to 30 bar of gas. While the CNG cylinders are designed for much higher pressures with working pressure of up to 200 bar to withstand a test pressure of 300 bar and above. The LPG cylinders can have welded joints/seams while the CNG cylinders are seamless and do not have welded joints,” it said.

It urged CNG vehicle users to utilise only SON-certified cylinders in their vehicles, as the use of uncertified cylinders presents serious safety risks, which should not be overlooked.

SON charged CNG refueling stations to undertake on-the-spot inspections to ascertain vehicles were equipped with approved conversion kits with required labels identifying the conversion centre.

It stated, “The SON is unwavering in its commitment to the development of CNG products’ standards and their certification to meet safety requirements thereby enhancing safety in the CNG conversion process and strengthening the regulatory framework.’’

(NAN)