The Director of Economic Regulation and Planning at the National Petroleum Authority, Mrs. Alpha Welbeck, has revealed that the Authority is set to begin the regulation of the importation, storage, processing, and marketing of bitumen in the country, effective January 2024.
According to her, the new regulatory framework will have input from the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The regulation, among other things, seeks to streamline the bitumen supply chain and ensure compliance with national quality standards, establish who qualifies to obtain a license, the national standards for bitumen, and guidelines to follow for the supply of the product.
Meanwhile, the Authority has urged industry players to ensure that their operations with the Authority are regularized by the end of 2023.
“Existing bitumen facilities and new entrants will have to acquire a license before they will be allowed to operate in the industry beginning in 2024,” Alpha Welbeck noted.
The Authority is hereby expected to issue a public notice in the coming weeks on the requirements for obtaining a license to enable existing players and new entrants alike to take the necessary steps to regularize their operations ahead of the 2024 deadline, the citinewsroom.com report noted.
SSD/NOQ
Source: www.ghanaweb.com