Michael S. Regan, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator tours the LPG bottling facility
Puma Energy Ghana, a leading energy company, has reiterated its commitment to enabling access to energy and specifically clean cooking solutions as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Michael S. Regan, visited its affiliate LPG (liquified petroleum gas) bottling facility.
The visit, attended by Mr. Michael S. Regan, the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer, was aimed at familiarising them with Puma Energy Ghana’s LPG operations and the important role it plays in enabling access to LPG in Ghana.
Energy solutions
In sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 970 million people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), LPG plays a vital role in the energy mix. Many households rely on solid fuels such as wood and charcoal, or kerosene, leading to environmental and health hazards. Household air pollution, predominantly from cooking smoke, is linked to 2.5 million premature deaths globally, while the use of wood also contributes to deforestation.
Puma Energy provides safe, reliable and affordable energy solutions across sub-Saharan African Africa, and is encouraging the transition to cleaner cooking fuels and solar power. Its commitment to enabling access to lower carbon emitting fuels is evidenced by the company’s recent acquisition of Zambian-based Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) supplier OGAZ, and its purchase of a 49 percent stake in MBHE, which provides renewable energy project development, implementation and maintenance across southern Africa. Both acquisitions will strengthen Puma Energy’s capacity across its key markets.
Puma Energy’s LPG strategy for the sub-Saharan Africa region is to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability. This involves centralising supply management; setting up mobile cylinder-filling plants managed by local communities to bring the LPG closer to the end user; and working with regulators to allow consumers to buy LPG in small quantities that they can afford as they would charcoal, wood or kerosene.
During the visit, Mr. Regan acknowledged the importance of enabling access to sustainable energy. “Access to clean and affordable energy is essential for economic development, reducing poverty, and mitigating the effects of climate change,” said Administrator Regan. “Cleaner cooking solutions are not just better for the environment, they are better for your health.”
