Nigerian Govt, stakeholders in talk over CNG conversion modalities

… target conversion of 1mn vehicles in 5 years

The Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGI) has commenced stakeholders engagement on the modalities and deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion centers across the country.

This is in furtherance of the Tinubu-led administration’s mandate to foster sustainable energy solutions and reduce carbon emissions while also cushioning the impact of fuel subsidy removal, which has led to a significant increase in the price of PMS.

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Speaking during the meeting of stakeholders in Abuja on Tuesday, Zayyanu Tambari, the coordinator of Regulatory, Compliance & Facilitation of PCNGI, said that efforts were ongoing to ensure that the conversion processes align with international standards.

According to him, the initiative will ensure that conversion centers are properly accredited and licensed to operate, with qualified technicians and standard conversion kits.

“We indeed plan to implement a system that ensures that only vendors that are converted using accredited and licensed accreditation centers with approved conversion kits are able to get gas at retail outlets. So that you cannot go to a fake conversion center or use substandard conversion kits. Even if you do so, you will not be able to buy gas anywhere.

“So, with this system in place, once you convert your vehicle at a conversion center that is duly accredited, you will be issued some kind of identification. We’re going to work out on the technology. There are different kinds of technologies that will enable you to identify that vehicle.

“And once that vehicle goes to the retail outlets, then the attendants will now be able to check that vehicle and then confirm that that vehicle was converted in an accredited conversion center with approved conversion kits, and then the guy can buy his gas and move on.

Read also:CNG Initiative: FG rolls out plans for nationwide deployment

He explained that working with the Standard Organization of Nigeria, Federal Road Safety Corp, and the National Automotive Design and Development Council, the program is going to be implemented using the Gas, Vehicle Monitoring and Surveillance system.

This according to him will ensure an end-to-end monitoring and control system for the autogas conversion and compliance in Nigeria.

“Now, we have some data here, but I think the most significant here is the fact that we plan to convert 1 million vehicles in the next 4 to 5 years. But at the rate at which we are working, I believe we will reach that timeline sooner than that projection.

“And what that will do, it will unleash a lot of economic opportunities, job creation in this country. Currently, we have 12 to 15 million vehicles on the Nigerian roads consuming either gas or diesel. And if we are able to move 1 million of those vehicles to gas alone, you can now see the salient effect on gas supply, gas infrastructure, service providers, technicians, conversion centers, the entire value chain, significant economic activity and opportunities will be unleashed.

“And that is the vision of Mr. President, to use CNG, to use gas, which we have in abundance in Nigeria, to create jobs and also to intervene in the transportation sector in such a way that the cost of transportation will go down,” he said.

Read also:CNG-powered vehicles will save Nigeria $2.5bn yearly- FG

In his remarks, Micheal Oluwagbemi, the program Director of PCNGI stated that the NGVMS, which will ensure effective monitoring in the CNG ecosystem, will be operational in the next three weeks. “In this workshop, there will be a demo of what that system looks like in the most basic form.

“So it’s a gradual process, but we are going to start very, very soon. And the guidelines, as well as the process for that will be made explicit and as time goes on, it will be enhanced. And as more conversion is going on, as we add more centers, as we increase the mass conversion program, you will now see it everywhere.

“The NADDC has done some stakeholder workshops in the last three weeks with respect to the operational standards and the curriculum, as well as the system for accreditation of workshops, as well as personnel.

“And also the Federal Road Safety Commission has a mandate for enforcement and also to ensure properly building of vehicles. That’s the purpose of this session,” he said.

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In his remarks, Abel Nsa, the senior technical advisor to the minister of petroleum (gas) stated that the Nigerian decade of gas initiative has opened up the gas sector to be used as an economic enabling tool.

“The decade of gas means we are going to change the economy using gas, we are going to drive the economy using gas. And so, indeed, compressed natural gas is a convenient and eco-friendly alternative fuel.

“So to bring this into perspective, the PICNG comes in at the very right time, so this discussion is very appropriate because some engineering designs have changed. Critically, we will be looking at inspection and we’ll be looking at design.