The Nigerian Federal Government has unveiled plans to set up a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) facility at the Ajaokuta Steel Company located in Kogi State.
This announcement was made by Prince Shuaibu Audu, the Minister of Steel Development, through a statement from his media aide, Lizzy Okoji.
The initiative is part of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to mitigate the economic challenges faced by Nigerians and align with the global move towards cleaner energy sources.
The proposed CNG park at Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd (ASCL) is expected to leverage the existing infrastructure, such as the natural gas pipeline from Warri to Ajaokuta and the local Metallurgical Training Centre, among others.
CNG, mainly composed of methane, is a cleaner alternative to traditional vehicle fuels and is stored at a fraction of its original volume at standard atmospheric pressure.
In response to the discontinuation of fuel subsidies, President Bola Tinubu initiated the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) in August 2023.
The program is designed to ease the transition for Nigerians by introducing over 11,500 CNG-ready vehicles and 55,000 conversion kits for vehicles currently reliant on petrol.
This strategic move aims to diminish the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote a greener, more sustainable environment through the adoption of CNG in transportation.
