FG dey consider mobile CNG stations to cut farmers' irrigation costs
- Di Presidential CNG Initiative talk say mobile gas stations fit serve rural farmers where permanent refuelling sites no dey viable.
- E talk say northern governors report say demand for gas-powered irrigation pumps dey grow instead of costly diesel and petrol.
- Di initiative also ask di petroleum regulator to speed up licences for CNG stations, citing supply and approval delays.
Di Federal Government dey consider mobile Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations to bring cheaper fuel to rural communities, with farmers as di main target.
Ismaeel Ahmed, chairman and chief executive of di Presidential CNG Initiative and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), talk say di plan na for places where private investors fit no see am as profitable to build permanent refuelling stations.
He talk for Abuja on Thursday for one roundtable wey dem theme “Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation”, wey di All Progressives Congress (APC) and di Progressive Strategy Roundtable organise.
Why farmers be di focus
Ahmed talk say consultations with state governments, especially for northern Nigeria, show say demand for CNG dey move beyond cars and buses to farm work.
Farmers want replace expensive diesel and petrol with gas-powered irrigation pumps to cut production costs, he talk.
He cite Jigawa State, where di governor tell di initiative say more than two million farmers fit benefit from cheaper energy for irrigation.
Ahmed talk say one mechanical irrigation pump fit cover about three hectares of farmland, while solar-powered pump usually dey cover about one hectare. Some farmers still prefer mechanical pumps for dat wider reach, he talk.
“Most of di states I visit for North, di discussion no be about even cars. E don be for CNG for irrigation pumps,” he talk.
For ordinary Nigerian, cheaper irrigation fit mean lower running costs for farmers and, with time, less pressure on food prices. Di government never talk when di mobile stations go start or how much e go cost.
Licences and gas supply dey slow di plan
Ahmed talk say di programme don record about 143,000 vehicle conversions, with investments wey dem estimate at $2.6 billion. He no give naira equivalent.
He talk say President Bola Tinubu don authorise di initiative to push harder, but two problems dey stand for di way: inadequate gas supply and delays in getting licences for CNG refuelling stations.
He ask di Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to speed up approvals for investors, while accepting say safety rules for gas infrastructure must stay strict.
Other officials for di event give updates on power and fuel. Di Rural Electrification Agency talk say 1,350 mini-grids dey planned under one $750 million project.
Di Niger Delta Power Holding Company talk say e dey run 10 power plants with combined capacity of 4,000 megawatts.
Di Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) put electricity production costs at about ₦200 per kilowatt-hour and talk say installed generation capacity don rise by about 780 megawatts, though service delivery still dey below expectations.
NMDPRA talk say more than 26 refineries don get licence, and say di Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries, with combined capacity of about 445,000 barrels per day, still dey shut down while di government dey seek technical help to fix dem.
Di regulator also talk say e dey target 30 days of fuel supply monitoring, with longer-term goal of 90-day strategic reserves.
Wetin go happen next
Di mobile CNG plan still dey consideration stage. How e go progress go depend on how fast NMDPRA go issue licences and whether gas fit reach rural areas reliably.
