The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Reverse Engineering Training, Filling, and Conversion Centre in Abuja was officially inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday.
Speaking during the event, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on behalf of Tinubu vowed that his administration would back private ideas for the CNG program’s implementation.
The federal government launched NASENI in 1992 to carry out research and development in the field of manufacturing.
NASENI and Portland Gas Limited have partnered to create the state-of-the-art NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, which is designed to convert fossil fuel vehicles to CNG, which is a more economical and environmentally friendly option.
The facility is designed to increase local capacity for CNG technology and is stocked with the newest equipment and highly skilled personnel to guarantee safe and effective conversions.
Akpabio emphasised that Nigeria is the perfect place for this revolution because of its vast reserves of lithium ore, a crucial material for the creation of electric cars and batteries.
“Our administration’s presidential initiative on compressed natural gas (CNG) is a flagship programme through which we are actively supporting a private-sector-led rollout of critical gas infrastructure to drive innovation and industrialization in Nigeria,” the president said.
Portland Gas CEO Folajimi Mohammed told reporters following the debut that CNG is a competitive substitute for petrol.
Khalil Halilu, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NASENI, previously described the facility’s strategic location in Utako as the district house’s transportation hub connecting the nation’s capital to the outside world.
According to him, the plant could convert 15 automobiles every two hours, or 2,700 conversions each month.
We earlier reported that the Federal Government inaugurated a 5.2 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) plant in Lagos.