FG eyes 150 CNG stations in 2025

The Federal Government says it plans to have no fewer than 150 Compressed Natural Gas stations before the end of 2025.

The Programme Director and Chief Executive of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, stated this on Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony of five mini-liquefied natural gas plants in Kogi by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

According to him, the presidential CNG initiative is hoping to attract millions of dollars in investment this year.

Oluwagbemi acknowledged the challenges of gas access in the northeast and northwest regions.

He expressed optimism that mini LNG plants, such as the ones to be constructed in Kogi, would play a critical role in bridging this gap while awaiting the completion of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline, which is expected to transform Nigeria’s gas transportation landscape.

He said President Bola Tinubu had directed that one million vehicles must have been converted to CNG by 2027.

“Our goal that the president has set for us is to ensure that we have a million vehicles running on compressed natural gas by 2027, and already we have made significant progress towards achieving this objective.

“In just one year, we were able to elevate Nigeria’s compression capacity by over 2,500 per cent, raising the number of conversion centres in Nigeria from the 2023 level of just seven centres to over 193 as of our last count on December 31, 2024,” he disclosed.

Oluwagbemi mentioned that $470m was attracted as an investment in 2024, saying this will double in the current year.

“In 2024, we attracted a combined investment of both public and private sector players of over $470m, and we expect that this level will double in the Year 2025 as we seek to achieve at least a minimum of 500 conversion centres and over 150 CNG retail outlets by the end of this year,” he said.

The PUNCH reports that Nigeria currently has about 50 CNG refuelling stations to serve over 200 million Nigerians.

As a result of this, the adoption of CNG has been slow as people refuse to convert their vehicles unless there is a CNG station nearby.

Owners of petrol stations have appealed to the Federal Government to support them with funds needed for the deployment of CNG facilities to their filling stations.

Speaking in Kogi, the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, described the development of LNG infrastructure in Nigeria as a game changer for the country’s energy sector.

He emphasised that it not only enhances energy security but also positions Nigeria as a key player in the global LNG market.

Audu stressed that the environmental and economic benefits of such projects are immense, paving the way for a sustainable and prosperous future.