Sylva commends NIPCO’s investment in gas infrastructure

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has commended NIPCO Plc for its commitment to the development of requisite infrastructure for the enhancement of effective utilisation of the nation’s gas resources.

Sylva, according to a statement issued by NIPCO’s Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Lawal Taofeek, gave the commendation recently during his visit to NIPCO’s exhibition stand at a two-day National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) Consultative Forum held in Owerri, Imo State.

The minister, who was received by Taofeek, expressed delight by the enormous resources the company has invested in the gas sector aside the giant impact it has made in the petroleum products retail business in Nigeria.

He acknowledged NIPCO’s support for his ministry’s initiative to encourage a timely switch to gas as a viable alternative energy source in the country which is being championed by the NGEP.
He stated that the federal government was vigorously pursuing its gas agenda, noting that the NGEP would impact positively on Nigerian economy.

In his reaction, Lawal said Sylva played significant role in helping the company’s emergence as a strong player in the gas marketing sector when he served as a special assistant to former Minister of Energy, HRH Edward Daukoru.

“He was very much involved in the company’s emergence as one of the three firms granted licenses to develop Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructures and gas dispensing outlets to enable motorists have alternative energy sources apart from white products in 2009,” Lawal said.

He noted that the development resulted in the company’s inauguration of eight CNG stations in Benin, Edo State and Ibafo, Ogun State, and in further putting up of the biggest gas compression plant in West Africa in Ogun State.

According to Lawal, NIPCO’s intervention in the gas sector also birthed the construction of about 10,500MT LPG storage facility.
He said since the inauguration of NGEP by the minister in January 2020, the company has keyed into the project and was determined to offer meaningful support to enhance massive switch to gas as energy source for vehicles and industrial concerns.

In the realm of LPG as domestic cooking fuel, he informed that the company had last year launched an LPG skid expansion scheme requesting partnership with persons and families with virgin lands for long lease or outright sales to develop and install skids in conformity with Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) regulations.

Lawal added that the scheme offers veritable opportunity for deepening LPG usage across the country through access to the product especially in residential areas at competitive rates