ALERT – OIL AND GAS
Approval of the Standard that establishes the Technical and Safety Conditions for the Commercialization and Use of LPG in Composite Cylinders.
On August 17, 2024, Directorial Resolution N° 273-2024-MINEM/DGH was published in the Official Gazette El Peruano, which approved the “Regulation that establishes the Technical and Safety Conditions for the Commercialization and Use of LPG in Composite Material Cylinders” (the “Regulation”).
It should be recalled that the Regulation for the Commercialization of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, approved by Supreme Decree N° 01-94-EM (the “Regulation”) only allows the commercialization of LPG cylinders made of steel. However, the First Final Complementary Provision of Supreme Decree N° 001-2022-EM, authorizes the commercialization and use of composite cylinders for the supply of bottled LPG, according to the technical, safety and commercialization conditions, among others, established by the General Directorate of Hydrocarbons, by means of a Directorial Resolution.
Thus, the Standard establishes the technical and safety conditions for the commercialization of LPG in cylinders made of other materials, in accordance with the technological developments of the industry and the use of different types of materials other than steel, such as composite material, which has characteristics equal or superior to steel.
Among the main aspects of the Standard, the following stand out:
- The Composite Cylinder is defined as the portable container for storing LPG, made of composite materials, designed, manufactured and tested in compliance with the provisions of the technical and safety standards in force.
- Composite material is defined as a material formed by elements other than steel, usually consisting of two or more components with different properties, such as polymers, thermoplastics, thermosets or elastomers, reinforced with glass or aramid fiber. These components are classified into two types, reinforcement material and matrix material. The reinforcement material provides the composite material with its mechanical properties, while the matrix material groups the reinforcement material by interlocking it and keeping it in a fixed position, while adding other properties according to the application given to the composite material.
- Composite cylinders must comply with ISO 11119-3 in terms of design, manufacture and testing and have a certificate of conformity issued by a certification body accredited by the National Quality Institute or an equivalent foreign accreditation body, certifying compliance with ISO 11119-3.
- Composite material cylinders must have an electronic device as a condition prior to their commercialization, which will facilitate their electronic identification and will allow their traceability.
- Composite material cylinders may only be marketed within the geographical area declared by the Packing Company to the Energy and Mining Investment Supervisory Agency (“OSINERGMIN”). If a cylinder is received outside this scope, the Packing Company shall notify the owner company, which shall assume the transportation costs.
- According to the First Final Complementary Provision, within ninety (90) calendar days from the publication of the Rule, OSINERGMIN must approve the provisions and procedures necessary for its application.
Finally, the Rule shall enter into effect within ninety (90) calendar days as of the day following its publication.
For further information, please contact Jorge Pérez-Taiman (jpereztaiman@estudiorodrigo.com), Carolina Noriega (cnoriega@estudiorodrigo.com), Piero Scarafone (pscarafone@estudiorodrigo.com), and/or Alejandro Diez Canseco (adiezcanseco@estudiorodrigo.com).
