Philippine Eco-Gas Producers Cooperative (PEPC) executives led by the co-op’s vice chairperson, John Velasco, (3rd from left) introduce the cooperative’s stainless steel LPG cylinders that they plan to launch next week and release to the market next month.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO
USERS of the dangerous, illegal LPG-refilled butane tin canisters can now have a safer legal type of refillable LPG canister, which will be released to the market next month.
This developed after officers of a local cooperative, the Philippine Eco-Gas Producers Cooperative (PEPC), announced in a press briefing on Saturday, their plans to release to the market next month the refillable welded stainless steel liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canister called the PEPC Gas LPG canister.
They, however, plan to launch the co-op’s LPG canister on Sept. 19.
John Velasco, PEPC vice chairperson, said that the LPG canister took them three years to make.
Velasco said they made the product as they saw the need especially among the masses, to provide a safer, eco-friendly and affordable cooking fuel alternative than the dangerous butane-refilled LPG canisters.
The cooperative’s canister is accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and by the Department of Energy.
He said that a canister would cost from P250 without LPG and P285 for a canister with LPG.
He said that the canisters would be compatible with the stoves using butane canisters, which some had illegally-refilled with LPG and sold to butane stove users.
Velasco also said that the co-op’s canisters could also be refilled at P35 per refill.
The PEPC canisters can only be refilled by qualified distributors and to the contracted refiller, Phoenix Petroleum stations.
A major difference in the butane tin canisters and the PEPC LPG canisters is the material used.
He said that a regular butane canister is mostly a tin can, while the PEPC Gas LPG canister is made of stainless steel and is welded and produced in Vietnam.
Distributorship of the canisters is made exclusive only for cooperative members.