Nigeria: 9,000 petrol stations ordered to supply LNG, CNG and LPG

The country’s Department of Petroleum Resources wants to boost the share of natural gas in transport.

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has ordered 9,000 petrol stations across the country to install natural gas fuelling equipment.

As the DPR begins the audit of petrol stations, it has demanded retailers to support the use of LPG, CNG, LNG and Autogas as alternative fuels for Nigerians. This is part of Federal Government’s National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) which aims at giving customers a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol for transportation.

Te DPR had carried out nationwide audit of all retail outlets in Nigeria and had categorized them into three — Categories 1, 2 and 3 -– with a view to ascertain readiness for deployment of Add-On facilities for gas products. Auwalu revealed that about 9,000 retail outlets, representing 27 per cent of total number of retails outlets in Nigeria, were listed in Category 1, and had been identified as suitable for immediate integration of Add-On facilities based on robust safety assessment and technical considerations by DPR.

Director of Petroleum Resources of the DPR, Sarki Auwalu, informed that they had carried out a nationwide audit of all retail outlets in Nigeria and broke them down into three categories, depending on the level of readiness to install Add-On facilities for gas products.

Auwalu revealed that about 9,000 petrol stations, representing 27% of the market share, were listed in Category 1, and had been identified as suitable for immediate integration of Add-On facilities based on safety assessment and technical considerations by DPR. There stations have been directed to immediately begin with the installations.

“We are confident that retail outlet operators and other investors will leverage on these opportunities in the domestic gas sector to grow their wealth and create employment for Nigerians,” said Auwalu.

All operators of sites in Categories 2 and 3, those that do not meet the minimum requirements or do not have sufficient land area, are encouraged to apply for stand-alone LPG, CNG, LNG or Auto Gas facilities under an incentivized regulatory regime.