• Water typically enters tanks via tank vent lines, faulty inlet caps or seals, tank or line integrity issues, tanker deliveries, and significant rain events.
• EPRA has since directed that any retail petrol station which has been flooded should temporarily remain closed and monitored.
The heavy rains that continue to pound the country are now exposing motorists to compromised petroleum products, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority has indicated, as it calls for vigilance.
According to EPRA, the rains and floods pose a big risk to the energy and petroleum infrastructures.
Particularly, flood waters or extended periods of heavy rain, may lead to damaged Petroleum Underground Storage Tank (UST) systems or discharge of products to the surface, the regulator has said.
“Presence of water in the UST affects the quality of petroleum products which may lead to breakdown of motor vehicles,” EPRA, led by director general Daniel Kiptoo, said in statement.
“The authority wishes to caution owners of the retail stations to ensure safety of the public and quality of their products,” it added.
Retail stations have been directed to assess the extent of the flooding, clean up any debris and ensure the quality of products before resuming operations.
Additionally, retail station owners should anticipate any potential environmental impact of the flooding and take appropriate measures to mitigate it.
Based on the severity of the flooding, retail stations have been directed to “immediately communicate” with relevant government authorities or regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with any necessary protocols or regulations.
The authority remains available to offer any necessary assistance to ensure safety of the public and quality of Petroleum products.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has issued a warning of continuing heavy rainfall in most parts of the country in the coming days. It has also also warned that the water levels in rivers, lakes and dams are expected to remain high.
Water typically enters tanks via tank vent lines, faulty inlet caps or seals, tank or line integrity issues, tanker deliveries, and significant rain events.
So far, cases of water seeping into petrol stations’ tanks have been reported in Nairobi, Embu and Western Kenya, the Petroleum Outlets Association of Kenya (POAK) confirmed yesterday.
“It is a case by case situation. We are likely to be in this challenging situation until these rains subside,” national coordinator, POAK Chief executive and national coordinator, John Njogu, told the Star.
Leading petroleum products dealer in the country –Vivo Energy Kenya, which operates the Shell brand, yesterday said it has been “diligently” monitoring all its Shell service stations to assess the impact of the floods.
“Where a Shell service station has been flooded, for precautionary measures, it is temporarily closed, so that an assessment of the product and all other safety operations can be completed,” management said yesterday.
Once the station and product quality are confirmed to be in good operating condition, it is reopened.
Normal Shell service station operations require water checks before sales commence, and if any water is detected, sales are immediately stopped, it explained.
“Our priority is to always ensure safe and high-quality products and services for our customers. At this stage, normal business operations are taking place at all Shell service stations,” management affirmed.
POAK however said cases of rain water seeping into storages could continue being witnessed, mainly where quality and standards are low.
This is mainly small dealers who failed to take into consideration potential impact of flooding, during the installation stage.
"These heavy rains are likely to have a bigger impact,"Njogu said, calling on station managers to remain vigilant and report any cases of seeping.
He said POAK is supporting outlets to deal any occurrences, including removing the water from underground tanks.
Since water is denser, the easiest way to remove water from a fuel storage tanks is to simply drain the water (via a tap) from the bottom of tank.
Water in a car fuel tank can decreases the motor power, reduce car’s mileage, cause sudden stalling of engine, car might not start at all or driver may have trouble accelerating the car.
EPRA has since directed that any retail petrol station which has been flooded should temporarily remain closed and monitored.