The Federal Government has announced intentions to build a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) park at the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi.
Prince Shuaibu Audu, Minister of Steel Development, made the admission on Monday in Abuja via a statement issued by his media aide, Lizzy Okoji.
The minister noted that this effort is part of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to ease Nigerians’ hardships while also contributing to the global move towards energy transformation.
“This goes to demonstrate the commitments of the president to ease the plights of citizens as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.
”And to join the rest of the world in transitioning towards green, sustainable, and cost-effective sources of energy.
“As stakeholders in P-CNGi, the Ministry of Steel Development also has plans for a proposed CNG park within the territories of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd (ASCL).
“The CNG Park to be located in ASCL will benefit from existing infrastructure, like the natural gas line from Warri to Ajaokuta, the Metallurgical Training Centre.
‘The engineering workshops, and the 10,000 housing estates in Ajaokuta environs, among other amenities,” he said.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is primarily methane and serves as an alternative fuel for vehicles.
It is compressed to less than one per cent of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure.
Following the removal of fuel subsidy, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) in August 2023, as part of his palliative intervention aimed at cushioning the difficulties faced by Nigerians.
The initiative aims to revolutionise transportation by deploying over 11,500 new CNG-enabled vehicles and providing 55,000 conversion kits for existing PMS-dependent vehicles.
It is also dedicated to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and actively contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment in Nigeria through the use of CNG-powered vehicles.