Lagos State government has appealed to its residents to be cautious in converting the petrol generating sets in homes and offices to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to avert fire outbreak.
The director-general, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, who stated this in at public forum at the weekend, said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration is committed to ensuring safety of life and property of residents in the state.
According to him, with the recent development on subsidy removal in the country which has led to the hike in the pump price of petrol and its discomfort to Nigerians, the conversion of petrol generating sets in homes and offices to LPG generating sets had risen considerably.
He said powering generating sets and plants with alternative fuels such as LPG or CNG offered several benefits given the fact that CNG and LPG were generally cheaper than petrol and offer potential cost savings over the long-term.
According to him, ‘’These fuels are cleaner and so do not contaminate the air as much as petrol and diesel do. Natural gas and LPG are often more abundant and domestically sourced in certain regions compared to petrol.
This can provide greater fuel availability and independence from fluctuations in petrol prices or supply disruptions.
‘’CNG and LPG combustion generally produce less noise compared to petrol and this result in quieter generator operation, which can be beneficial for residential use and minimise noise pollution.’’
He however declared that the state government wished to alert the general public on the safety hazards and risks inherent in the conversion process in the use of these LPG- powered generating sets at homes and offices.
Mojola said a spark or heat from the generating set can cause a fire outbreak if gas leakage occurs from the hose or cylinder valve.
‘’Explosion could occur if the generator house is not properly ventilated thereby allowing gas leak build up in enclosed space. LPG is bottled under high pressure with potential for explosions if not properly handled,’’ he said.
