Federal Government has commissioned three Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) facilities in Kano State, comprising a 300,000 standard cubic metres distribution hub and a 21,000 standard cubic metres daughter and retail station, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The projects are expected to deepen gas penetration in Kano and neighbouring states, provide cleaner energy alternatives, support transportation and businesses, stimulate economic activities and create employment opportunities.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated this during the commissioning of the LCNG mother station at Tamburawa and daughter and retail station at Hotoro in Kano.
He said the Tamburawa distribution hub would provide integrated LNG storage, regasification and CNG distribution services, including the capacity to supply daughter stations, while the retail outlets would bring the benefits of gas infrastructure closer to consumers.
The minister said the facilities reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to translating Nigeria’s abundant gas resources into affordable energy for households, businesses, industries and transportation.
He also emphasised the importance of the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) in mobilising private-sector investment to develop critical gas infrastructure, commending the fund for supporting qualified companies to access financing.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of MDGIF, Mr Oluwole Adama, said the administration of President Tinubu had encouraged the expansion of refuelling and vehicle conversion infrastructure through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG).
He explained that the fund’s responsibility under Section 52 of the Petroleum Industry Act was to translate government policies into viable gas infrastructure through strategic partnerships.
Mr Adama urged fleet owners, transport unions, businesses and investors to take advantage of the facilities, stressing that dependable gas supply, safe operations and proper maintenance would be critical to their sustainability.
Earlier, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rolling Energy Limited, Mr Mubarak Danbatta, hinted that the company’s partnership with MDGIF was designed to address challenges associated with the transportation and distribution of gas over long distances.
He explained that businesses in Abuja sometimes travelled hundreds of kilometres to source compressed natural gas from Ajaokuta and Obajana in Kogi State before transporting it to their stations.
Mr Danbatta said the new infrastructure in Kano would change the supply model by bringing gas closer to consumers and providing opportunities for investors seeking to establish CNG stations in Kano, Jigawa, Zaria and neighbouring communities.
He disclosed that the company’s integrated energy ecosystem would comprise 10 gas stations, including nine LCNG facilities across Kano, Kaduna and Borno states, as well as the already commissioned Jahi station in Abuja.
In a goodwill message, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Commissioner for Renewable Energy, Gaddafi Sani, commended the initiative and called for effective utilisation of the facilities to advance the state’s energy and economic development objectives.
The facilities, developed by Rolling Energy Limited in partnership with the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), are expected to deepen domestic gas utilisation, support businesses and transportation, create jobs and stimulate economic activities.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
