The Federal Government has disclosed plans to establish a Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, park at the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi.<\/p>\n
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The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, disclosed this in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, on Monday in Abuja.<\/p>\n
The CNG is mainly composed of methane and primarily used as a substitute fuel for powering vehicles.<\/p>\n
It is compressed to less than one per cent of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure.<\/p>\n
President Bola Tinubu had approved the establishment of the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) on Aug.18, 2023, as part of his palliative intervention aimed at cushioning the difficulties faced by Nigerians due to the removal of fuel subsidy.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It is also dedicated to reducing reliance on fossil fuel and actively contributing to cleaner and healthier environment in Nigeria through the use of CNG-powered vehicles.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the initiative was part of the President\u2019s \u2018Renewed Hope Agenda\u2019 to address the plight of Nigerians.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis goes to demonstrate the commitments of the president to easing the plights of citizens as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also joining the rest of the world in transiting towards green, sustainable, and cost-effective sources of energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs 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).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are also the engineering workshops and the 10,000 housing estates in Ajaokuta environs, among others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Audu also commended the Nigerian Army for inaugurating CNG vehicles for its operations under the Auto Switch Kick-off Pilot Programme, powered by the P-CNGi.<\/p>\n
He urged other organisations to adopt the technology for its cost-effectiveness and for promoting a sustainable, healthy environment.<\/p>\n
The minister had said in February that the ministry would launch a three-year road map that entails the reviving of 44 different production units of the steel company in piecemeal through its concession to investors.<\/p>\n