“50 CNG stations only servicing 200 million Nigerians” � NMDPRA

Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA) Farouk Ahmed, says Nigeria has less than 50 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) compression stations to feed 200 million Nigerians.

This is despite efforts of the Federal Government, through the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative to give Nigerians access to CNG as a replacement to the pricey fossil fuels like petrol and diesel.

Ahmed stated this in his speech at the conference of the Nigeria Association of Energy Correspondents in Lagos.

Speaking on energy security, which is crucial for Nigeria�s economic growth, Ahmed maintained that despite having a huge gas utilisation deficit, �we still flare about 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas daily�. This wasted resource, Ahmed noted, could generate enough electricity for the country.

According to him, as the country invests in gas infrastructure, he advised that Nigeria must diversify its energy sources and reduce dependency on any single fuel. �It is important to note that the number of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants in the country is less than 3,000 while the CNG compression stations are less than 50 for a country of 200 million citizens”, he stated.

He spoke further that �the Presidential CNG initiative is one of the Federal Government policies that will drive our energy security and reduce the dependency on oil�.

He posited that Nigeria is at a crossroads, facing the challenge of transitioning to a new energy future while resolving its economic and social challenges.

According to him, �Nigeria is blessed with over 209 trillion cubic feet of proven associated and non-associated gas reserves, the largest in Africa and among the top ten globally. Despite this immense potential, gas has often taken a back seat to crude oil.

Switching to gas can also help us manage the intermittency challenges faced by renewable energy sources like wind and solar. By embracing gas, we are not just talking about an energy transition; we are ensuring a reliable, cleaner, and more sustainable energy supply for Nigeria�, he explained.