Akwa Ibom State is set to expand access to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) across its 10 federal constituencies with the delivery of equipment for a 10 million standard cubic feet per day (10mmscf/d) mother station in Esit Eket Local Government Area. The project, developed by Nsik Oil & Gas Company Limited in partnership with the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), will provide a foundation for a network of daughter stations that will distribute CNG to motorists, businesses, and industries across the state.
The first consignment of equipment for the facility at Uquo Isi Edoho arrived at the project site on Thursday from China, moving the project closer to installation and commissioning. The equipment, manufactured by China-based Original Equipment Manufacturer, CIMC, included four reciprocating compressors, dehydration and filtration systems, heat exchangers, and four generating sets. Project Consultant, Mkposong Asuquo, confirmed that the equipment followed the successful completion of a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in China involving the project team and regulators from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The project site was strategically located near existing gas infrastructure, about 500 meters from Frontier Energy and approximately three kilometers from Savannah Energy’s Accugas facility, from where the project is expected to obtain its gas feedstock. Two trailers have also been ordered to transport compressed gas from the mother station to planned daughter stations, allowing the facility to serve consumers beyond the immediate host community.
According to Asuquo, the daughter-station model will expand the market for CNG and support transportation and industrial activities. The project intends to feed most of the vehicles that are already CNG-powered. The project has already passed several critical stages, including land acquisition, site clearing, geotechnical investigations, Environmental Impact Assessment, Front-End Engineering Design, Detailed Engineering Design, regulatory approvals, and gas supply arrangements.
Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) on Political Affairs, Kufre Sam, stated that the Minister had remained interested in the project because of its potential to advance the Federal Government’s CNG initiative in Akwa Ibom. Sam said the 10mmscf/d facility would serve as a mother station for daughter stations planned across the state’s 10 federal constituencies, bringing CNG infrastructure closer to communities, businesses, and industries.
The expansion is expected to create direct and indirect employment while supporting businesses involved in transportation, logistics, vehicle conversion, and other activities around the daughter stations. Sam linked the project to the Federal Government’s effort to provide alternatives to petroleum products, saying increased access to CNG could help reduce transportation and production costs.
Asuquo expressed confidence that the remaining stages would be completed soon, saying stakeholders would return to the site for the commissioning of the facility. The project’s completion is expected to transform the cost of transportation, reduce the cost of goods, and reduce the cost of services.
Key points
- The 10mmscf/d CNG plant project will expand access to Compressed Natural Gas across Akwa Ibom State's 10 federal constituencies.
- The project will create direct and indirect employment and support businesses involved in transportation, logistics, and vehicle conversion.
- The project will help reduce transportation and production costs by providing an alternative to petroleum products.
