Metal cooking gas cylinders to be phased out by mid-2017

Qatar Fuel (Woqod), the main retailer of energy products including cooking gas cylinders in the country, is planning to phase out all metal gas cylinders with Shafaf, a transparent plastic gas cylinder, before the middle of next year, according to The Peninsula.

Woqod Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim Jaham Al Kuwari disclosed this while replying to a proposal by Central Municipality Council member Fatima Ahmed Al Kuwari to replace metal gas cylinders with Shafaf cylinders.

Woqod started marketing Shafaf cylinders in 2010, along with the launch of an awareness campaign in order to phase out all metal gas cylinders and replace them with Shafaf.

Woqod has already replaced one-third of the total metal gas cylinders with Shafaf in the last three years.

Due to Woqod’s aggressive campaign on the advantages of using Shafaf cylinders, there had been rise in demand in the local market recently.

Among the benefits of Shafaf are it is safer and explosion proof compared to metal gas cylinder.

It is also easier to carry as it weighs 5kg when empty compared to metal cylinders which weighs 12kg. Because it is transparent, it is easy to monitor the remaining gas and determine when to purchase.

Shafaf cylinders are available in 6kg and 12kg variants. The sales of 12kg transparent cylinders last year rose by over 44% to about 1.9m compared to previous year.

The sales of 6kg units increased by 21.6% to 45,000 cylinders, compared to 37,000 for 2014.

Woqod offered QR100 compensation to attract more consumers to replace their metal cylinders with Shafaf from March 1 to May 31 last year.

Courtesy: thepeninsulaqatar.com