24 September, 2011, Sweetcrude, Lagos- Conoil has outlined its determination to popularize the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Nigeria as the preferred energy source for industrial and domestic applications in line with the global trend for a greener and cleaner environment.
Lamenting the degradation caused the environment through the use of firewood and the out-of-reach price and irregularity in supply of Household Kerosene (HHK) popularly called kerosene, the company promised to make its brand of LPG, known as Congas available to the generality of Nigerians at affordable price in correct quantity and quality.
LPG is a cleaner and safer form of energy suitable for industrial and domestic use. It also promotes the Kyoto Protocol on green gas reduction, of which Nigeria is a signatory. However, inadequate infrastructure has been identified as the major obstacle hindering cooking gas consumption in the country. At 0.5 kg per capita per year, Nigeria has the lowest in Africa in LPG consumption.
As part of its strategies therefore, the foremost petroleum products marketer, has commenced customer-friendly schemes that would ensure availability of Congas all the time by taking it to the door-steps of consumers. It also plans to increase its current LPG production capacity by 75 percent.
The door-to-door distribution scheme, the company explained, is aimed at reducing consumer’s burden in the purchase and subsequent refill because research has shown that a major challenge to the use of LPG in Nigeria is that of availability of the product.
According to the company, “the Federal Government has always sought to promote LPG as the preferred energy for industrial and domestic applications given its cleaner and safer properties. What we are doing at Conoil is to support this great effort through this scheme.”
It was also gathered that Conoil planned to build LPG plants in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Kano to significantly boost production and complement its state-of-the-art bottling plant in Lagos which has the capacity to produce 5,000 cylinders a day.
To further popularize the use of LPG among Nigerians as a veritable alternative cooking fuel, Conoil has launched another scheme that allows the consumers to discard rickety and unsafe cylinders, at a subsidized rate, for brand new Congas cylinders. According to the company, this scheme is aimed at drastically reducing the dangers inherent in the use of old cylinders at home.
Under the scheme, the consumers are required to take their old, empty gas cylinders to any Conoil retail outlets or distributors and exchange them for brand new Congas cylinders. Consumers are also guaranteed to save some money for every old cylinder so exchanged.
“The scheme is targeted at pushing into the market, brand new cylinders that will assist in overcoming safety concerns as they affect LPG usage. This is critical for the government to meet its objective of raising consumption to 1.0 million tones per annum by 2015,” explained an official.
Awareness on the need to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming in African countries has been on the upsurge recently following concerted efforts by governments to promote sustainable development and protection of the environment.
Already, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Environment, is putting finishing touches to a draft policy on climate change in Nigeria.
