Liquigas in Wiri
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is widely used in over 90,000 New Zealand homes and businesses as an efficient and economical source of heating, cooking and as a fuel for some vehicles. About 50% of the LPG used each year is managed by Liquigas, New Zealand’s leading company for storage and distribution of bulk LPG.
The Auckland Liquigas is based on 40 McLaughlins Road, Wiri.
This 2,300 metric tonne (mt) installation is adjacent to the Wiri Oil Services installation and is supplied by road tankers from Taranaki production fields.
Liquigas is also based in New Plymouth, Port Taranaki, Christchurch and Dunedin.
What is LPG?
LPG is the generic name for a mix of 40% butane and 60% propane gasses that when lightly compressed, change to a liquid. It is a cleaner burning fuel compared to petrol, diesel, wood, coal or fuel oil, and it is not a greenhouse gas, making it one of the most environmentally friendly carbon-based fuels available.
LPG is also easy to store and transport because it is 270 times denser in liquid form than in gas form. Although it is neither toxic nor poisonous, LPG is highly flammable. A chemical is added to odorless LPG to ensure that leaks (even small ones) can be detected.
Storing LPG Safely
To safely manage the bulk storage and distribution of LPG, our people are highly trained and work in an environment that puts safety first.
Our sites have been designed and constructed to the highest standards of safety, and we were the first company in the world to fully mound our steel storage tanks by encasing them in sand. Mounding our storage tanks provides a significant barrier against fire and external impacts and allows the tanks sufficient movement in the event of an earthquake.
Our steel tanks are also relatively small, with a capacity of 100 tonnes each, to provide maximum safety and flexibility.
We have various gas, fire and earthquake detection systems that will automatically shut down and isolate the entire LPG storage system, ensuring that our people and the communities we operate in are always safe. These safety systems are reviewed regularly to ensure we retain the highest levels of safety technology.
Emergencies – what you should do
In the rare event of an uncontrolled release, a fire siren will sound, the plant will be shut down, water sprays will activate throughout the depot and the Fire Service automatically alerted to provide support. Note that these actions will occur even if it is a false alarm.
We will call our immediate neighbours to notify them of an uncontrolled LPG release, and other neighbours may be contacted by emergency services. Please shelter in place and do not approach the depot with ignition sources such as cell phones. Although LPG readily evaporates, in cold conditions with low wind speeds, a visible vapour cloud may travel a distance on our depot. Self-evacuate away from the direction of a visible vapour cloud.
Major Hazard Facility
Due to the quantities of LPG that we store at our sites, Liquigas is known as an upper tier Major Hazard Facility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. We have a responsibility to prove to WorkSafe New Zealand that our safety, operating and maintenance systems keep our risks as low as possible, and our people and communities safe. More information about Major Hazard Facilities can be found at www.worksafe.govt.nz
Contact Us
For further information on Liquigas or our safety systems, including our Safety Cases, please visit our website at www.liquigas.co.nz or call Gary Heaven (Operations & Safety Manager) on 06-759 0560.
Liquigas Head Office
Level 3
New Plymouth District Council Civic Centre
84 Liardet Street
New Plymouth 4310
PO Box 450
New Plymouth 4340
Phone +64 6-759 0560
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