DOHA: The new easy-to-handle cooking gas cylinders Shafaf introduced recently by Woqod will soon be available in supermarkets and co-operative stores across the country, a senior official of the company said.
The transparent cylinders priced at QR350 per piece are currently available only at the Woqod petrol stations.
"In future, they will be made available in supermarkets and co-opertative stores to ensure easy access for the public," Mohamed Turki Al Subai, vice chairman of Woqod said in an interview with Al Sharq.
He said the old cylinders will continue to be available in the market until the new ones get wide acceptance from the public.
He said Woqod has stopped re-circulating cooking gas cylinders with old regulators, after it introduced new regulators that are more safe and convenient.
Currently there are 500,000 old cylinders in the market which will be phased out gradually.
He said the 48 kg cylinders used by restaurants and big villas will be withdrawn from the market in a month, with introduction of the new fixed cylinders.
The factory in Mesaiseed that was filling the 48kg cylinders will be closed down as a new facility has been set up for filling various new types of cylinders.
Woqod is planning to enter in the distribution of fixed cylinders to curtail a rise in the installation costs caused by private distributors. The cylinder originally costs QR4,200 while the installation charges have been fixed at QR5,000.
However, the total charges have gone up to QR15,000 due to intervention of some agents.
Al Subai also mentioned that the diesel shortage in the country has been resolved with major upgrading in the production capacity. Earlier, the country was producing 25,000 gallons of diesel and was importing 15,000 gallons. The local productions has now been raised to 50,000 gallons daily.
He said Waqod is currently building six new petrol stations while another eight stations are in the design stage. Six locations each on the Al Shamal and Salwa roads have been earmarked for the new stations. Qatar needs about 100 new petrol stations for the coming years, with the current daily consumption of fuel in the country estimated at 80,000 gallons.
© The Peninsula 2010
