DOE revokes compliance certificate of LPG station in deadly explosion

The Department of Energy (DOE) has revoked the standard compliance certificate (SCC) of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refilling station in Pasig City after a deadly explosion claimed one fatality among the 20 injured in the incident on Wednesday.

"DOE has canceled the SCC or operation of this LPG plant," Energy Undersecretary Felix Fuentebella said in a press conference in Taguig City on Thursday.

The refilling station is supposedly o wned by OMNI Gas Corp., according to initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

"They cannot operate – tanggal po ang kanilang SCC – so they will have to apply again for them to operate," Fuentebella noted.

The incident supposedly started with a gas leak that triggered a fire and an explosion the affected nearby houses and two gasoline stations, according to initial reports.

An SCC is the final document a company must secure, after meeting the minimum requirements under the Philippine National Standards and the DOE circular on the LPG industries, before it can open a business.

In a separate statement, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the DOE is revoking the SCC because of the incident. The refilling station cannot operate anew until a new SCC has been secured and only after all pertinent investigations have been concluded to the DOE’s satisfaction.

Initial reports have it that the company was able to secure an SCC and all other requirements from the BFP and the Pasig City government.

"Public safety is always our priority and the DOE is looking closely at this unfortunate incident which injured at least 20 people. Our common objective with the BFP is to ensure that this does not happen again,” Cusi said.??

“Violations of the DOE Circular on LPG Rules merits administrative sanctions on those responsible,” he said.

Operators of LPG refilling stations must also comply with provisions of the Fire Code of the Philippines and local government ordinances covering on operational safety. — VS, GMA News