Electrical Solutions for Oil & Gas
Hazardous-area panels, bulk-fuel terminal switchgear, and refinery automation cabinets engineered for ATEX / IECEx zoning and the operational realities of East African oil and gas.
Electrical Infrastructure for Oil and Gas Operations
Oil and gas sites operate in some of the most demanding electrical environments anywhere. Flammable atmospheres, corrosive ambients, remote locations, and statutory hazardous-area zoning all impose constraints that ordinary industrial switchgear cannot meet. Panel Tech Systems designs and builds panels, motor control centres, and PLC automation cabinets for fuel terminals, petrol stations, LPG depots, drilling support, pipeline pumping stations, and downstream distribution across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan.
Hazardous Area Classification
Every oil and gas project starts with the hazardous-area zoning study. IEC 60079 / EN 60079 split potentially-explosive atmospheres into Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2 for gases and vapours; ATEX Group II (surface) covers most fuel sites. Equipment selection follows directly:
- Zone 0 (continuous flammable presence — inside tank vapour space) — only intrinsically safe (Ex ia) equipment
- Zone 1 (likely flammable presence — typically within 1 m of vents and fill points) — Ex d (flameproof), Ex e (increased safety), or Ex i (intrinsically safe)
- Zone 2 (rare and brief flammable presence — typically up to 4 m from sources) — Ex nA or equivalent; standard equipment in safe rooms behind firewalls
- Safe area — ordinary IP-rated industrial panels, behind ATEX boundary
What We Build
- Bulk fuel terminal main switchboards — typically 800 A to 2500 A in IP66 stainless steel enclosures with weatherproof glanding
- Pump motor control centres for product transfer and recirculation pumps, with VFD options for energy savings
- Generator paralleling panels for terminals where utility supply is unreliable
- Tank-farm instrumentation marshalling cabinets — galvanically isolated barriers for intrinsically safe loops from tank gauges and level transmitters
- Fire and gas system panels — segregated cabinets with SIL-rated PLCs, fire dampers, ESD logic, and operator workstations
- Petrol station forecourt panels — IP65 with hazardous-area glanding for forecourt dispenser feeds, sized for canopy lighting and CCTV loads
Documentation and Certification
Oil and gas projects demand more documentation than any other vertical we serve. Standard deliverables include the hazardous area classification study, the cause-and-effect matrix for fire-and-gas logic, single-line diagrams stamped by a registered engineer, ATEX equipment certificates per circuit, intrinsic-safety loop drawings with worked entity calculations, and a full factory acceptance test report against the cause-and-effect matrix.
Why Operators Choose Panel Tech Systems
- Local manufacture, hazardous-area expertise: Our engineering team includes registered electrical engineers with hazardous-area experience and direct working relationships with ATEX-certified component suppliers
- EPRA and KEBS submittals: Handled as part of the deliverable, including HAC drawings and equipment lists
- Phased commissioning under operating constraints: Most upgrades happen while terminals continue product receipts — we plan tie-ins around inventory schedules and tanker windows
- 24/7 emergency response: Critical-fault response within 4 hours anywhere on the mainland, 12 hours to satellite installations
From single petrol stations to multi-tank bulk terminals, our panels keep East Africa's downstream fuel infrastructure energised, safe, and compliant.
Building or upgrading oil & gas infrastructure?
Our engineers will scope, design, and deliver electrical systems built to your sector's reliability standards.
