Nigeria will soon be self-sufficient in LPG production – Buhari

Chinazor Megbolu   |

President, Muhammadu Buhari, has said the country will soon be self-sufficient in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production.

He made the disclosure at the unveiling of the Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF) and the LPG Storage and Dispensing Unit, Oredo, Edo State and constructed by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an upstream subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Buhari, in a statement issued by the Presidential Spokesman, Dr. Femi Adesina, noted that the IGHF and its associated NGLs depot will be delivering 240,000 metric tons of commercial grade LPG and propane and also deliver about 205 million standard cubic feet of lean gas to the domestic market daily.

“In addition to its import substitution benefits that brings us a step closer to self-sufficiency in LPG production and also supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises in the host communities, this project will create hundreds of direct and indirect employment opportunities for our teeming youths (both skilled and unskilled).

“Apart from being the largest onshore LPG plant in Nigeria with the potential of supplying about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s LPG demand, the Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Facility was carefully situated at a corridor proximate to over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s LPG demand source,” he said.

Buhari also hinted that the project was a follow-up to the commitment of the administration towards making 2020 as Nigeria’s Year of the Gas as announced a couple of weeks ago.
The President further pointed out that the gas facility has contributed to the ongoing drive towards providing alternative auto fuel under the National Gas Expansion Program (NGEP) initiative.

“At the turn of the Year 2020, this Administration made solemn declarations to the Nigerian public over its plans to expand the gas sector footprints by scaling-up the development and utilisation of Nigeria’s abundant Natural Gas Resources to help spur industrialisation, provide clean and efficient energy for transportation and household use while increasing our exports into the international market.

“It is on the backdrop of this commitment that the Year 2020 was dedicated and embodied as Nigeria’s Year of Gas. Since then, we have followed through with actions that have translated those plans into tangible projects with monumental value additions to the Nigerian Economy.

“We accomplished key gas infrastructure projects like the OB3 and ELPS 2 and flagged-off the Construction Phase of the 614 km AKK Pipeline Project,” he said.