Chairman of Zip-Tech Energy, Dr. Adebowale Ologbenla, said compressed natural gas is too costly in Nigeria.
According to The PUNCH, he claimed that charging N250 for a kilogram of CNG was not reasonable and that the going cost should be N50/kg.
Ologbenla claims that “the nation has been flaring the same natural gas for a long time and questions why the wasted gas is suddenly being sold for a high price.
“Considering that we have been flaring CNG since 1947, how can you sell it for N240 or N250? Why is that the price you should be charging for it? The suggested price per kilogram is N50.
“CNG is not imported. CNG originates from your oil wells, dump waste sites, and soakaway. We just set it on fire. Thus, it should only be sold for N50 per kilogram,” he stated.
Ologbenla said that the hefty cost of switching to CNG will deter many people from wanting to change their cars.
“A Corolla conversion will set you back around half a million naira. People cannot afford it if they continue to pay N250, N300, or more for petrol to power the same automobile.
However, the economy will grow if consumers can get CNG for a little less money. Why should we now be purchasing this petrol at a high cost if we have been using it for so long? No one should run away from the expenses of CNG. It should not be more than N50/kg.” he said.
He attributed the nation’s small number of CNG stations on the absence of pipes for the transportation of CNG.
“You need to load your CNG with very heavy trucks that can damage the roads by travelling to Ogun, Ore, or Lokoja. Compared to petrol tankers, the trucks are heavier and resemble tubes. After the gas is compressed, you transport it to your stations.
“However, our approach is distinct. We interpret it as non-CNG. We search for automobiles that run on LNG. We want to take it as LNG, convert it, depressurize it, and then regassify it into CNG to sell at the stations,” he explained.
Ologbenla acknowledged that the CNG industry required a lot of cash, but he questioned why the public looked to the government if the strategy was not to embezzle.
“You will invest in the firm if you are aware of its profitability. Why aren’t well-known stations doing it if we can? It is as a result of their ignorance of science. If they know the science, they will do it,” he argued.
He continued by saying that his group has taught many Nigerians how to produce gas from their soakaways and live off the grid.
“We ought to have petrol if we wish to improve society. People have received training on how to extract natural gas from farm waste and soakaways. You may transform your soakaway into gas for driving your autos, cooking and other gas-related needs. And that’s the direction we ought to go.
“Even with a car conversion, purchasing CNG in Nigeria is now prohibitively costly. It is preferable for you to get the gas from a different source than your soakaway. We are providing extremely affordable information to enable folks to accomplish that.
It costs very little to be completely energy-independent. The gas in your soakaway may power your house. The industrialized countries have been acting in this manner. Without CNG, we cannot advance,” he said.
