The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) has stated that since the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the country, it has attracted $980 million (N1.504 trillion) in investment over the past 18 months.
Speaking during the launch of the Portland Gas Ltd/NASENI CNG Daughter Station Auto Conversion and Training Centre in Abuja, the Chief Executive Officer of PCNGI, Engineer Michael Oluwagbemi, said the sector has seen significant interest from BUA, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), and others, who have spent over N720 billion to acquire not only CNG trucks but also 100 water stations. He said this makes it the fastest growing sector in the country today, noting it continues to grow in leaps and bounds.
He added that CNG-powered vehicles have risen from a mere 4,000 to about 100,000 in approximately 18 months. According to him, because of the incentive for transition to CNG use, using CNG allows about a 90 per cent discount. He, however, sought protection of CNG allocated for automobile use from being diverted to fuel power plants.
The Chief Executive Officer of Portland Gas Ltd, Folajimi Mohammed, described the station as a gas hub with everything related to gas integrated. He said: “This is what we call the Portland Gas/NASENI gas hub. We call it a hub because one: we have an auto-conversion centre.
We have a training centre. We have a refill station as well here. So we have a combination of everything gas.” He disclosed that the company has secured approval for the same station to also sell Liquefied Petroleum Gas. He added: “So we have a four-tonne approval which you can see right behind us for cooking gas too. So, it is a full hub for gas.”
The Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Agency for Gas Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Halilu, said the station was strategically located on the Kubwa expressway, which connects Abuja to the northern and southern parts of the country.
He said: “We are launching a station on the highway of Kubwa, which you know connects Abuja to the whole of the north and even the Southern part of the country is a strategic move to show that the government is ready to position CNG stations in partnership with private sector like Portland Gas in strategic areas to ease transportation for Nigeria.”
