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Feature Articles

In-depth feature stories examining the trends, challenges and innovations shaping the propane and LPG industry.

  • ThompsonGas Acquires Alabama Propane Assets, 4th Purchase This Year

    (October 8, 2018) — ThompsonGas LLC (Frederick, Md.) has acquired the propane division of South Alabama Gas District, which has operations in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Details regarding the transaction were not released. The purchase is the fourth for ThompsonGas so far this year. “Needless to say, we are excited to add the South Alabama Gas propane locations to our operations in the South,” said Jeff Kerns, ThompsonGas CEO. South Alabama Gas has built a tremendous business and assembled a great team of employees to become a leading propane provider in their region. We are pleased to welcome this group of employees to the ThompsonGas family and we will continue to provide the excellent service to customers that they have come to expect.” “ThompsonGas has…
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  • China Gas Holdings Expected to Import 10 Million Metric Tonnes of LPG

    A single company, China Gas Holdings, is expected to import around 10 million metric tonnes of LPG over the next five years, up from the current 2.8 million tonnes annually as the Hong Kong-listed gas operator and service provider seeks to expand into the petrochemical sector, industry sources said recently and as reported by S&P Global Platts. The group’s LPG sales totaled about 4.030 million metric tonnes, up 9% year on year, according to its 2017-2018 annual report. Of these, 2.8 million tonnes were imported and the balance were sourced from domestic suppliers such as refineries and other importers, the sources said. The company projected its LPG sales to households to increase to 4.5 million metric tonnes in fiscal year 2018-2019 from 4.030 tonnes in…
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  • 3 Fleets Receive Autogas Award from Propane Council at BusCon

    WASHINGTON (October 3, 2018) – Three transit fleets received the eighth-annual Top User of Propane Autogas Award from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) during the BusCon Expo in Indianapolis. The award celebrates fleets creating healthier environments for riders and communities by using clean, cost-effective, and domestically-produced propane autogas. The awards were presented during breakfast on Wednesday, October 3, in Room 130/131 of the Indiana Convention Center. “These fleets truly represent the top users of propane autogas in transportation in their consideration for the environment as well as the students, patients, residents and communities they service by choosing a clean, cost-effective fuel,” said Michael Taylor, director of autogas business development for PERC. “Propane autogas can offer many advantages, including the lowest cost of ownership,…
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  • Delivering for a Cause — Propane Companies Raise Funds To Support Breast Cancer Awareness, Research, and Treatment Year-Round

    (October 2018) — If you’re trying to draw attention, driving a big bright pink truck down the road is a good way to do it. Today, many propane marketers across the nation are operating pink delivery trucks to draw attention to, and raise funds for, a variety of organizations devoted to breast cancer awareness, research, and treatment. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, eight propane marketers shared with BPN stories about their pink trucks and how they contribute to the cause. RYMES PROPANE & OILWhen your company has a pink truck raising money for breast cancer awareness, it won’t stay parked in one place for long, says Jim Rymes Jr., partner and fleet manager, Rymes Propane & Oil (Concord, N.H.). He has found the…
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  • Crane Rule Deadline Nearing, NPGA Says, “Help Us Keep the Pressure On”

    The propane industry’s long-running struggle to gain an exemption from, or at least another delay of implementation of, a component of the Crane Rule is nearing a key juncture. As this was written in early September, the compliance deadline for third-party certification of employees who use cranes was scheduled to go into effect Nov. 10. “The Crane Rule unnecessarily burdens the propane industry with over $151 million in compliance costs every five years,” says Michael Baker, director, legislative affairs with the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA). “This is significant for an industry predominantly composed of small businesses that supply a valuable domestic energy.” Long opposed by members of the propane industry, this component of the Crane Rule—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Cranes and…
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  • 1 in 3 Households Challenged In Meeting Energy Needs

    (October 1, 2018) — Nearly one-third of U.S. households, 31%, reported facing a challenge in paying energy bills or sustaining adequate heating and cooling in their homes in 2015. According to the most recent results from the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Residential Energy Consumption Survey, about one in five households reported reducing or forgoing necessities such as food and medicine to pay an energy bill, and 14% reported receiving a disconnection notice for energy service. Households may also use less energy than preferred, and 11% surveyed reporting homes were kept at an unhealthy or unsafe temperature. The 2015 survey asked about these and other challenges, including paying energy bills and repairing broken equipment in the home. Households experiencing these circumstances, often considered components of household…
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  • Hexagon Ragasco Composite LPG Cylinder Producer Celebrates 15 Million Cylinders Sold Worldwide

    The Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders have steadily gained recognition over the past 18 years and are today in use in more than 70 countries and across a wide range of domestic, leisure and industrial applications. Their user friendliness, durability and unmatched safety record enable propane marketers to gain and retain market share while running cost-effective and safe operations. They are designed to operate across all weather conditions from -40 degrees Celsius (Antarctic regions) to +65 degrees Celsius (desert regions). The propane cylinders are lighter, rust-free, and translucent. "We are proud to reach the 15 million mark. This milestone embodies the trust that our customers have placed in our products. We have focused on bringing a better alternative to LPG storage in the past 18…
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  • New Product Showcase From The 31st World LPG Forum

    Welcome to Houston, the Energy Capital of the World… As a proud media sponsor, BPN is pleased to provide the following New Products Showcase on exhibit at the 31st World LPG Forum. The Houston venue is filled with opportunities to network with peers from around the world, to gain information and insight from the industry’s best, and to examine the new products available from this year’s nearly 100 exhibitors. This is a unique chance to discover the products being enjoyed globally, right here in the USA. The following is a summary of but a handful of the equipment and services to be displayed. In fact, some of these products are being introduced in the exhibit hall. Don’t miss this sneak peek of what you should…
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  • Visiting ROUSH CleanTech Helps to Seal the Deal

    (September 2018) — There are plenty of statistics to demonstrate the inroads propane buses are making in transporting schoolchildren to and from school. Over 15,000 propane school buses are now on the road, nearly a million students ride a propane school bus daily, more than 800 school districts across the U.S. use propane buses, 530.4 million gallons of petroleum have been displaced by propane, and 400 service locations exist across the country. ROUSH CleanTech (Livonia, Mich.) has been a key player in making those statistics a reality. “Propane is going to be the lead horse for the next decade,” said Todd Mouw, president of Roush CleanTech. “Propane is usually the best solution for school districts as well as many companies we talk to when it…
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  • Lake House, Boat, Grandson—One Sweet Spot For Koloroutis

    Last April’s announcement was as trenchant as it was concise. George Koloroutis, CEO of Frederick, Md.-based ThompsonGas, was retiring following six years at the burgeoning company. Over his tenure the enterprise grew to have a coast-to-coast footprint and annual sales that spiked more than 500%. “George has been absolutely instrumental in driving growth at ThompsonGas,” said CFO Dave Franchak. “With George at the helm, our company has gone from a Mid-Atlantic propane marketer to a national propane distributor. His insight and leadership will certainly be missed. We wish him all the best in his retirement.” Koloroutis’ long-time colleague Jeff Kerns will succeed him as CEO. “I’ve deeply enjoyed my time with ThompsonGas,” Koloroutis commented at the time. “I’m looking forward to enjoying all that retirement…
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  • Energy Distribution Partners Acquires Operations from Delta Liquid Energy

    (September 19, 2018) — Energy Distribution Partners (“EDP”), based in Chicago, Illinois, has acquired the Los Angeles- area operations of Delta Liquid Energy (“DLE”). The two operations, located in Pomona and Sylmar, California, serve commercial and residential customers in and around those two communities. Expo Propane, an EDP operation based in Los Angeles, has assumed management of the two facilities. The DLE transaction is EDP’s fourth in 2018, and upon its closing Expo Propane is anticipated to be the third-largest propane service provider in the Los Angeles area. DLE, owned by the Platz family, was founded in 1936 and has grown to ten locations in California and one in Nevada. The Platz family is retaining ownership of all the remaining locations. The operations transitioning to…
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  • Marketers Say Autogas School Buses Bring Year-Round Business

    (September 2018) — As students head back to school this fall, a growing number will be transported on school buses that are powered by alternative fuels including propane autogas. School bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp. (Macon, Ga.) reports that the use of alternative fuels has tripled in the last five years. According to Blue Bird, 12% of the buses in operation in the United States and Canada used alternative fuels in 2017, up from 4% in 2012. Alternative fuels include propane, gasoline, and compressed natural gas; the remainder of the buses were powered by diesel. As a growing share of the school bus population is powered by alternative fuels, an increasing percentage of the fuel consumed by school buses will be propane autogas. In the…
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