TheCable

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) says Nigeria’s consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), better known as cooking gas, exceeded one million metric tonnes in 2020.

According to a statement signed by Abdulkadir Saidu, PPPRA executive secretary, this is the first time LPG consumption crossed the one million metric tonnes threshold.

“Nigeria consumed 840,594.37 MT LPG in 2019, indicating an increase of 60.5 percent over 635,452.061MT recorded in 2018,” the statement read.

“This steady and sustained pattern of growth culminating in the over one million metric tonnes of LPG domestic consumption milestone in 2020 has placed the country 1st in West Africa and one of the leading LPG consuming nations on the continent.

“With this laudable feat, the country is on track to meet the five million MT by 2022 target, set in the Nigeria Gas Policy (NGP) of 2017.”

The agency said the federal government is determined to create a healthier life for all Nigerians by providing access to a cleaner source of energy for cooking, vehicular transportation and other domestic uses by deepening LPG penetration in the country.

To support this goal, it also said that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, has increased its allocation of LPG to the domestic market from 350, 000MT to 450, 000MT in 2021.

“Also, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) recently commenced LPG production and load-out in its newly commissioned Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC) Oredo Gas handling facility, which has an estimated production stream of 330MT daily, “the statement read.

“The remarkable growth in the domestic LPG market remains largely driven by the impact of the federal government’s policies and programmes, coupled with the efforts of relevant stakeholders and regulatory bodies in the industry.

“The avowed commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, to the Gas Revolution Agenda remains the game changer and key growth driver.

“The culmination of the Year of Gas with the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) Autogas rollout, is expected to foster exponential growth within the industry as more and more Nigerians begin to embrace the utilisation of LPG/CNG as fuel for their automobiles.”