Countrywide shortage of gas: Afrox

According to Afrox, South Africa's largest gases and welding products supplier, there is a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country due to unplanned shutdowns in the local oil refinery industry. In a statement, the LPG distributor said: "We have always worked closely with our LPG suppliers, but no one could have foreseen the extent of the unplanned shutdowns experienced by South Africa's petroleum industry".

According to Afrox, a number of refineries were on planned maintenance shutdowns, while others were on unplanned shutdowns due to technical difficulties. The shortage - said Afrox - had been confirmed by the SA Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia), which represents the oil refinery sector. Some parts of the country had completely run out of LPG - a by-product of the oil refining process. "Sapia could not give any timelines as to when full production from refineries will normalise."

The shortage was affecting the hospitality, manufacturing and automotive sectors. Afrox said there was little prospect of recovering the situation in the immediate term. LPG imports are not considered at the moment. Difficulties associated with importing products include costs involved, uncertain scheduling - since the product is imported by sea, and limited inland storage facilities. "These issues make LPG imports a last measure instead of a first response," Afrox said.

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