Akwa Ibom CNG station receives first major equipment consignment

A planned compressed natural gas facility in Akwa Ibom State has moved closer to operation after receiving its first major equipment consignment, the project consultant has said. The equipment arrived at the proposed 10 million standard cubic feet per day mother station in Esit Eket on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The facility is being developed by Nsik Oil & Gas Company Limited at Uquo Isi Edoho.

Project consultant Mkposong Asuquo said the shipment included four reciprocating compressors, dehydration and filtration systems, heat exchangers and four generating sets. The equipment was manufactured by China-based CIMC. Asuquo said the project team and regulators from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority carried out a Factory Acceptance Test in China before the equipment was cleared and transported to the site.

The station is intended to compress gas and supply a planned network of smaller daughter stations across Akwa Ibom. The developers have ordered two trailers to transport compressed gas from the mother station to those facilities, which are expected to serve motorists, industries and other consumers. The project is located about 500 metres from Frontier Energy and three kilometres from Savannah Energy’s Accugas facility.

Asuquo said gas for the station was expected to come from the Accugas facility. The project is an equity partnership between Nsik Oil & Gas and the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, supervised by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas). Its development has included land acquisition, site clearing, engineering studies, environmental assessment, regulatory approvals and gas-supply arrangements.

Kufre Sam, special adviser to the minister of state for petroleum resources on political affairs, said the station was expected to supply daughter stations serving the state’s 10 federal constituencies. He said the network could bring CNG closer to communities and businesses, while potentially reducing transport and other costs. The remaining work includes installation and commissioning.

The project forms part of wider federal efforts to expand CNG infrastructure and encourage motorists and transport operators to move away from petrol.