Tanzania Sets Priority for Standards on Petrol Stations & Road Tankers

The Director of Petroleum at the Energy and Water Utilities Authority, Sirili Massay told local media that all petroleum storage facilities must meet certain minimum requirements to operate. “Only underground storage tanks will be used for the storage of liquids at petrol stations. Excavation for underground storage tanks will be made with due care to avoid damaging foundations of existing structures,” said Mr Massy.

All piping and secondary containment piping will be tested before being covered, enclosed or placed in service.  Tanzania has in recent years experienced a proliferation of petrol stations, with some being built in residential areas with little regard to the safety and health of the inhabitants.  “Some of these stations will have to be brought down, since there would be shall be no compromise over the standards,” said Mr Massy.

The standards will also cover depots for storage of petroleum products and transport mediums.  Ewura said that preparation of the draft of standard do was done with the assistance of the Zambia Bureau of Standards, South African Bureau of Standards, Kenya Bureau of Standards and Pakistan Bureau of Standards.

The draft prescribes technical requirements for the design, materials, construction, testing and layout of bulk plant depots and terminals used for the storage of petroleum products. Ewura said that the location of a bulk depot is of paramount importance, not only from a marketing point of view but also from a security point of view.

One of the salient features petroleum products transporting vehicles will be required to have is an approved tracking system, that will transmit vehicles’ speed and position details to a base station. The vehicles’ GPS data will be recorded and stored for a minimum of six months.  The new standards will also cover the materials that would be used in the manufacture of tanks, calibration, tank design and construction. Once implemented, the new regulations will see a standard price charged for petrol and petroleum products across Tanzania.

In the draft, petrol stations will be required to safeguard the health of customers as well as the environment. Notably, all trucks carrying harmful products will have to be clearly labelled.  The labels will be divided into different categories depending on how risky the product being ferried is.

The publishing of indicative prices by Ewura has significantly stabilised the prices of petroleum products in the country. The Minister for energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja recently told The EastAfrican that Ewura was working in collaboration with Tanzania Bureau of Standards to come up with minimum standards for those investing in petrol and petroleum products.

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