Energy, EU – Baltic States, Gas, Latvia, Legislation

For this, the government had to pass amendments to several regulations today that apply to the use, transport and disposal of gas cylinders.

According to the Economy Ministry's data, about 35% of households in Latvia use gas cylinders, and the proportion is particularly high among low-income earners. Furthermore, distributors of gas cylinders have not yet reached agreement with their cooperation partners, including filling stations, about further cooperation mode after only the new gas cylinders are permitted in Latvia.

For this reason, the deadline for the use of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, which are mostly used by households, is now December 31, 2017.

The government approved requirements on examination of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders that do not meet the EU technical requirements in order to ensure user safety. All such cylinders will have to undergo thorough inspections by September 30 this year.

Furthermore, gas cylinder companies will have to offer households the opportunity to choose from several gas cylinder supply and replacement opportunities so they could choose one that suits them best. Companies that buy scrap metal will be banned from buying gas cylinders or parts thereof from private individuals. This is to ensure that users do not try to get rid of gas cylinders in a manner that may pose danger to themselves and other people.

In the meantime, all gas cylinders that are used for industrial purposes and do not meet EU requirements may not be used from June 30 this year.

The amendments have been discussed with companies that deal with gas cylinders and with non-governmental organizations, and eventually all parties approved the amendments as overall acceptable.