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Litro, Laugfs to not accept CPC’s results

09 Dec 2021

  • Litro outright rejects CPC’s findings
  • Laugfs to only accept results of tests at loading/unloading docks 
BY Pamodi Waravita  Gas companies, namely state-owned Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. and privately-owned Laugfs Gas PLC, will not be accepting the lab results of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), despite Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna stating that CPC tests on market liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) samples have revealed that the propane percentage in the LPG samples was about 47% – which contradicts the companies’ prior claims.  “We cannot accept the CPC results,” a senior Litro Gas Lanka official, who spoke to The Morning on condition of anonymity, said yesterday (9).  An official from Laugfs Gas stated that they too would only accept test results conducted at the loading and unloading docks, and not the CPC tests done on the 12 LPG samples collected last month. Laugfs Gas PLC Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chaminda Ediriwickrama said that the privately owned entity would only accept results at the loading and unloading docks, and not the CPC test results.  Alagiyawanna said on Wednesday (8) that lab tests conducted by the CPC on 12 samples of LPG obtained over the last month show a propane composition of about 47%, and said that he personally believes that this change in composition led to the LPG cylinder-based explosions which occurred over the past month. The presidential expert committee investigating the LPG cylinder-related explosions this year, headed by University of Moratuwa Prof. Shantha Walpolage, noted that 430 such incidents had occurred between 29 November 2021 and 5 December 2021. Allegations levelled against the two LPG companies in the market claim that the companies have changed the ratio of propane:butane in a gas cylinder from the usual 70:30 to a dangerous 50:50 composition. The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said that it will consider legal action against the LPG companies in the market in the future, if wrongdoing on the part of any official or company is revealed. Furthermore, the CAA said that it has instructed Litro Gas Lanka and Laugfs Gas to recall all sealed and unused gas cylinders currently in the gas distribution outlets that were distributed before 4 December.  Last week, Litro Gas Lanka further said that the CPC would be their competitor soon, as it is due to introduce its own product to the market, which would in turn lead to a conflict of interest. Both companies have further stated that their gas composition falls within the 30% (propane) and 70% (butane) range, as per the tests that they have conducted and the results that they have received from them.


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