FG looks to increase sustainability by switching NRC locomotives from LNG to CNG

To improve sustainability and cost-efficiency, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Transportation, is thinking about converting the locomotives of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to the more affordable and easily accessible LNG-CNG fuel.

This comes after the De-Sadel consortium, as stated in a statement on the Ministry’s website, submitted a proposal on Tuesday to the NRC and the Ministry of Transportation, represented by Minister Saidu Alkali. The proposal suggested switching railway locomotives from more costly diesel to petrol.  

The De-Sadel consortium proposes to repair any damaged locomotives and to retrofit NRC’s locomotives with their LNG-CNG kits at no expense to the government; Alkali deemed this proposal to be reasonable.

Alkali said, “Our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, wants to give the people of this wonderful country an effective, affordable, and sustainable transportation system. I’m sure this would go a long way in bringing down the cost of transportation.”

After reading the De-Sadel consortium’s proposal, Alkali gave Olufemi Oloruntola, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the order to quickly form a technical committee to assess the feasibility of switching to LNG-CNG fuel.  

This team was entrusted with coming up with a swift technical feasibility assessment of the concept and creating an implementation plan that included getting an NRC locomotive ready for testing. The committee was made up of seven mechanical engineers from the Transportation Ministry, the NRC, and the De-Sadel Consortium.

The statement further revealed that the feasibility of converting the locomotives of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to run on LNG-CNG fuel has been validated by the seven-member technical committee, which has finished evaluating the proposal. On March 13, 2024, they inspected the locomotive models at the NRC’s workshop in Idu, Abuja, and came to this decision. 

The managing director of De-Sadel Consortium, Sam Uko, gave an overview of the concept and highlighted their experience converting diesel engines to LNG-CNG systems. He emphasised the benefits of this technology for the NRC, especially in terms of financial savings and extending engine life, which frees up resources for other uses.

In addition, the statement stated that 50 gas-powered locomotives have been prepared for testing by the De-Sadel Consortium, subject to a request from the Ministry/NRC.

Uko attested that De-Sadel possesses not just the locomotives but also the knowledgeable staff required to train NRC engineers and convert the organization’s diesel locomotives to gas-powered models. He promised to allay any worries about fuel supplies by offering a consistent supply of petrol for a period of five years. 

He underlined that retrofitting does not include a complete modification or conversion of the current engines; rather, it entails changing them to allow for dual fuel operation.

De-Sadel also suggested improving the security infrastructure of the railway by erecting new systems for real-time monitoring along the train routes to ward against threats and vandalism.

It is anticipated that this increased security will enable continuous rail service, which will raise NRC revenue through more safety measures and better fuel economy.

Alkali has presented a plan for the locomotives’ fuel mix to begin with an equal mixture of petrol and diesel if the proposal is approved. It is anticipated that this plan will advance towards 30% diesel and 70% petrol, with a full switchover to petrol in the end.