FG targets 500 new CNG stations nationwide as 160 begin operations

The Federal Government has announced that 160 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations are currently operational across the country, with another 170 facilities undergoing licensing and development.

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles revealed that private investors have already committed $2.6 billion to expand alternative fuel infrastructure.

The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG), Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed this on Friday during the commissioning of a new CNG Integrated Refuelling Unit in Karu, Abuja.

He explained that the new facility is a joint venture between the State House, Pi-CNG, and Rolling Energy.

“This is almost our 106th station across the country in less than two years. The market has been proven,” Ahmed stated.

He also revealed that President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate rollout of 500 additional infrastructure units to accelerate nationwide access.

The Pi-CNG chairman stated that the adoption of CNG-powered buses has successfully forced down transportation fares by 30 to 40 per cent along specific high-traffic corridors in Abuja, Lagos, and Kano.

“Between Kano and Katsina, that used to take about N3,000, N4,000 to travel, now you take N1,500 for CNG buses that are flying that route,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, State House, Temitope Peter Fashedemi, confirmed that the Karu facility was built by converting an abandoned State House petrol station into a modern CNG conversion centre without government funding.