The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced plans to expand its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-Diesel locomotive technology beyond the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor to other regions in the country.
This initiative aligns with the NRC’s commitment to promoting cleaner, cost-effective, and eco-friendly rail transport solutions.
The Acting Managing Director, Engr. Ben Iloanusi, made this announcement during a visit by the California State Transport Agency delegation, to the Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, in Abuja on Friday, 13th December 2024.
This was detailed in a statement published on the Ministry of Transportation’s official website on Saturday, signed by Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Press & PR.
The statement noted that NRC’s retrofitting programme has enabled locomotive engines to operate using an LNG-Diesel admixture, reducing diesel consumption by up to 75% while successfully covering a distance of about 200 kilometres between Abuja and Kaduna.
“The Acting Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Ben Iloanusi, stated that the NRC has achieved the retrofitting of some of its locomotives and test run these on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor; the Corporation seeks to introduce this admixture of diesel-Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology across existing rail corridors,” the statement read in part.
Referring to the LNG-Diesel locomotive technology, he said it is not only clean and environmentally friendly but also cost-efficient. The NRC, he added, is open to partnerships and collaboration for the full-fledged deployment of this technology nationwide.
More insight
The statement provided further insight into the visit of the California State Transport Agency delegation to the Ministry of Transportation.
- The Minister has committed to setting up a technical committee to explore collaboration with the California State Transport Agency on transportation development, climate change, and best practices.
- The delegation, piloted by the Chairperson of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri, and led by Tokunbo Odusakin, California’s Secretary of Transportation, included Giles F. Giovinazzi, Senior Adviser on Transportation; and Prof. Aditya Ramji, Director of Global South Clean Transportation Centre at the University of California, Davis. Senior officials from the Ministry of Transportation and heads of key agencies also attended.
- The visit highlighted opportunities for partnerships to support projects such as the NRC’s retrofitting programme, transitioning from diesel to LNG, and adopting clean energy alternatives like hybrid and CNG buses. Tokunbo Odusakin acknowledged Nigeria’s potential in sustainable transportation and proposed further meetings to plan the California Climate and Trade Delegation Summit in 2025.
- Stakeholders also emphasized capacity development. Prof. Umar Adam Katsayal, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Transportation, Daura, proposed exchange programmes with the University of California, Davis, to bridge skill gaps in Nigeria’s transport sector.
Dr. Farah Bayero, Director General of the National Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), stressed the need to advance expertise in e-vehicle technology and scale clean energy initiatives nationwide.
What you should know
In March 2024, the Federal Government unveiled plans to transition the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s (NRC) locomotives to cost-effective LNG-CNG fuel, following a proposal from De-Sadel Consortium. The proposal included retrofitting NRC locomotives with LNG-CNG kits at no cost to the government and a commitment to replace any damaged locomotives.
- By September 2024, the Federal Government received a retrofitted NRC locomotive equipped with a dual-fuel system comprising 70% Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and 30% diesel, under a Public-Private Partnership with De-Sadel Consortium. This initiative will see all NRC locomotives retrofitted to operate on a dual-fuel system, with LNG as the primary fuel and diesel as a secondary source.
- According to the Minister of Transportation, this retrofitting program is part of a broader strategy to unbundle and modernize the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
