For several decades,
Most times, especially during festive periods, it becomes taxing for some car owners to driver in their cars because the product (petrol) which helps rev their engines, is scarce. This scenario also affects the socio-economic and political events.
Bothered about the angst the situation engenders, the Federal Government mulled the idea of alternative source of powering car engines. That alternative is gas which
Committed to ensuring the use of cleaner fuels in
The Minister of State for
Sylva said the conversion of vehicles in his ministry and agencies shows that the government is working on the use of Autogas nationwide and supports its declaration that 2020 as the year of gas.
To help the government to realise its dream,
The Chief Executive Officer of THLD Oluwasegun Olajuwon has reeled off the benefits inherent in using this alternative fuel system.
He said: "It is cleaner, it is safer, and it is environmental-friendly and affordable." As a fast-developing economy, it will be beneficial for
Olajuwon noted: "In the last three years, I have noticed that for every five filling stations, there is a tank for LPG. They sell cylinders for people to cook. We want to do the same for Autogas as well."
Though it took some time before the average Nigerian realised the benefit of using the LPG for cooking, it became exciting for most people that embraced its use later. So it will seem to be for the use of Autogas. This could be why Olajuwon said "we know the market and we want to encourage Nigerians to cultivate the habit of making use of LPG for their machines. These include cars and all manner of vehicles."
Good news is that the company's conversion centres will be strategically located all over
But how easy will it be for Nigerians to access the LPG and the CNG for use? To ensure seamless access to these products, President
As a demonstration of the government's commitment to the project, Sylva had launched the autogas station at the
He also launched the five gas-fueled buses at the venue, which he handed over to the
The five buses were just a tip of the iceberg as Sylva revealed that the government will release 100 of the buses to the union going forward.
At a virtually held event at the State House to unveil the National Gas Expansion Programme and National Autogas Roll-out Initiative,
Urging Nigerians to embrace the use of gas as an alternative to fuel,
"With a proven reserve of about 203 trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) and additional upside of 600 TCF ranking
"Therefore, the roll-out of the National Gas Expansion Programme, Autogas Initiative is coming at the right time, especially in light of global crude oil market fluctuations, coupled with the full deregulation of the local PMS market.
"These developments have made it imperative to focus on gas as an alternative fuel to move
"The outcome will not only cushion the effect of the downstream deregulation that this government has to painfully implement, but also create new markets and enormous job opportunities for our people."
Mr President said the autogas initiative will lead to increased domestic gas utilisation and enrich the trajectory of national economic growth and development, even as he encouraged everyone to embrace gas in form of LPG, CNG and LNG as an alternative fuel for autos and other prime-movers.
The President directed the Minister of State for
To ensure non-dearth of skills and manpower, Sylva said the ministry is focusing on development of skills, technology and manpower as well as growth in the utilisation of LPG, CNG and LNG.
The National Gas Expansion Programme was initiated last year to boost the utilisation of gas in the short and medium-term and it is expected to create two million jobs per annum, promote skills acquisition and enhance technology transfer in addition to growing the nation's Gross Domestic Products (GDP).
How successful will the implementation of the national gas policy be without inputs from the private sector?
The group has noted that the Federal Government needs the support of the private sector to successfully implement the National Gas Policy which was aimed at deepening gas utilisation in
According to MOMAN Chairman, Mr
Oyebanji said: "
"We expect government's policies in these areas to begin to bear fruits and gas consumption, both for our domestic cooking gas and autogas, will move forward.
"We cannot say that in 2021 autogas will replace the Premium Motor Spirit totally, but we can begin to see some progress being made in that area."
Stating that tagging 2021 to 2030 as the decade of gas was a great move by the Federal Government, he said it required the support of the private sector to ensure its success.
According to him, marketers are ready to key into the autogas scheme, but need the assurances that their investments will be protected. This is where security in all ramifications comes in.
Oyebanji said: "If you want CNG retailers across the country, you will need a lot of financial investment.
"Those who are going to make the investment also need some assurances regarding the protection of their funds.
"There should be continuous engagement and involvement of the private sector as the policy is being fine-tuned and formulated, so that by the time it evolved, it will be driven largely by the private sector."
Oyebanji expressed optimism that significant progress would be made on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill in 2021, adding that stakeholders should be carried along in the process.
The switch to use of autogas seems to be necessitated by its affordability. Since petroleum products are somewhat costly, it becomes necessary to switch over to an alternative to fuel which is cheaper than petrol.
As an immediate response to the rising price of petrol, and by extension, the return of fuel subsidy, the Federal Government insists that operators in
The call was premised on the fact that Autogas is cheaper. According to a breakdown provided by the
However, worried about the continued bearing of the subsidy burden by the NNPC, the
Without doubt, this laudable policy, which comes on the heels of the concerted and constructive efforts by the Minister of State,
Autogas is the common name for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) when it is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles as well as in stationary applications such as generators. It is a mixture of propane and butane.
According to Wikipedia, Autogas is widely used as a "green" fuel, as its use reduces Carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaust emissions by around 15 per cent compared to petrol. One litre of petrol produces 2.3 kg of CO2 when burnt, whereas the equivalent amount of autogas (1.33-litre due to lower density of autogas) produces only 1.5 * 1.33 = 2 kg of CO2 when burnt.
"Autogas is the third most popular automotive fuel in the world, with approximately 16 million of 600 million passenger cars powered using the fuel, representing less than three per cent of the total market share."
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