[04/July/2009]

SANA'A, July 04 (Saba) - Yemen will get self-sufficiency of domestic gas by 2010 after setting up a new plant in Safer, Marib province,to produce Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Minister of Oil and Minerals Amir al-Aydarus has said.

Al-Aydarus added that the capacity of the new plant ranges from 700 to 1000 metric tons a day which will achieve the self-sufficiency of domestic gas and will cover the increasing demands of local market in a convenient way.

Limited production in Aden Refinery and consumption increasing have made shortages in the domestic gas during the last two years, al-Aydarus pointed out.

He indicated that the ministry is currently preparing a technical and economic study for constructing strategic tanks for LPG.

The ministry has worked on expanding the marketing plan for LPG to include all governorates and rural areas in the country, al-Aydarus added .

It is worthy to mention that the quantity of LPG withdrawn from the gas plants in Safer and Aden Refinery has amounted to 757,558 metric tons at a total cost of YR 21,886 billion at an increase of 20,791 metric tons and a total cost of Y.R 6,933 billion from 2007.

BA/AM