CNG stations across Nigeria hit 106 amid $2.6 billion in private-sector investments – FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed that there are currently 106 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations operational across the country, with significant private-sector investment of $2.6 billion aimed at expanding this infrastructure. Ismaeel Ahmed, the Executive Chairman and CEO of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG), made this announcement during the inauguration of a new CNG Integrated Refuelling Unit station in Karu, Abuja.

The station, inaugurated through a partnership involving the State House, Pi-CNG, Electric Vehicles, and Rolling Energy, is the 106th CNG station established in the country in under two years. Ahmed disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has ordered the establishment of approximately 500 additional refuelling units through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF).

Nigeria currently has about 106 operational refuelling stations, with another 170 at various stages of development or awaiting licenses from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Ahmed emphasized the project's success in reducing transportation costs by 30% to 40% in areas where CNG-powered buses operate, with the ultimate goal of expanding this development throughout the entire country, particularly in regions with high commercial vehicle traffic.

The initiative's progress has been facilitated by private investors, including Rolling Energy, which rehabilitated an abandoned petrol station in Karu at no government cost. The State House also played a crucial role by providing the existing facility for conversion into a CNG refuelling and vehicle conversion centre.