NNPC aligns with Nipco on autogas promotion
Sopuruchi Onwuka
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is to align with Nipco Plc in promoting use of compressed natural gas for automobile application and also deepen government’s transportation fuel diversification in the country.
The corporation declared intention to work closely with the company on the renewed efforts at increasing investment in infrastructures that would enhance ease of access to autogas by motorists whose vehicles can run on the clean burning fuel.
Chief Operating Officer in charge of Gas and Power at NNPC, Mr Usman Yusuf, who visited the Nipco stand at the 2021 Gas Sector Stakeholders Forum in Kano said the corporation was delighted with the company’s efforts towards providing more facilities to enhance natural gas utilization across the nation .
Mr Usman, an engineer, was in the company of the Managing Director of Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN), Mr Olalekan Ogunleye, and other industry captains during the visit.
He expressed delight at the company’s establishment of several compressed natural gas stations to provide access to thousands of motorist to power their vehicles especially in the city of Benin, Edo State.
He described NIPCO as a very reliable partner of the corporation in the overall drive to improve on the existing gas infrastructures with a view to making government achieve the Decade of Gas initiative being championed by the minister of state for petroleum resources.
According to him, the corporation would stop at nothing to continue to support organizations like Nipco to improve the natural gas valuechain in all its areas of operations.
Mr Usman urged the management of Nipco take advantage of the ongoing Ajaokuta – Kaduna – Kano [AKK] gas pipeline to extend its gas innovations in Benin to northern parts of the country,.
The Oracle Today reports that Nipco is the pioneer autogas infrastructure developer and niche market player in Bein, Ibafo and Ajaokuta areas of the country.
Mr Usman stated that NNPC was making giant strides to ensure AKK project completion, adding that the corporation expects operators to position in advance with requisite infrastructures that would enhance access to gas for potential users and also create massive employment opportunities.
Receiving the entourage at the booth, Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Lawal Taofeek, went down memory lane to itemize some of the major landmarks of the company in the gas sector primacy of which is the plethora of infrastructures put in place to enable motorist access to cleaner fuel to power their vehicles.
He told the visitors of the company’s efforts in supplying piped natural gas to industries to power their machines for higher productivity at relatively cheap rates when compared to using fossil fuels.
According to him, the subsisting gas supply partnership with one of the strategic business units of the corporation, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company Ltd [NGMC], has assisted in the actualization of the lofty achievements of NIPCO over the years even as the firm looks forward to more beneficial relationship with NNPC.
He informed them that NIPCO’s entry into the gas terrain over a decade ago has provided avenue for employment opportunities and transfer of technical skills to Nigerians, especially in the of realm of vehicle conversion for use of auto fuel.
Mfr Lawal pointed out that no fewer than ten CNG stations and workshops have been commissioned by the company across the country with more in the pipeline to improve access to natural gas as energy fuel.
