Nigeria’s state oil company NNPC Ltd. plans to roll out between 50 and 70 smart, self-service fuelling stations across the country within the next six months, its downstream executive said on Thursday.
The stations will offer a range of energy and retail services, including petrol, gas, electricity and electric vehicle (EV) charging, as NNPC seeks to modernise its retail network.
Mumuni Dagazau, NNPC’s executive vice president for downstream, spoke at the commissioning of the company’s first smart mega fuelling station in Abuja.
He said four or five similar stations were planned for Abuja, while two others would be inaugurated in Kano.
“We are hoping to roll out a significant number, between 50 and 70 of these types of stations within the next six months,” Dagazau said.
The Abuja facility has storage capacity for 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), or diesel. It has 16 petrol pumps and two diesel dispensing pumps.
The station offers self-service fuel dispensing, EV charging, gas dispensing, an automated car wash and vehicle servicing.
Customers will be able to use NNPC Retail’s mobile application to access services and make payments, Dagazau said. The stations will also be accessible at night, allowing customers to dispense fuel themselves or charge EVs.
The facility is equipped with fast EV chargers that can fully charge a vehicle in 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the vehicle and battery level, he said.
The stations will also offer liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and lubricant services, among other services.
NNPC plans to modernise some existing stations as part of the rollout, while new facilities will be built based on customer demand, Dagazau said.
He said the shift towards automation would not eliminate jobs, as staff would still be needed to assist customers, support EV charging and operate the new services.
“What we are doing is creating jobs. Somebody has to support the integration and automation, while personnel are also needed to support customers using the EV facilities,” he said.
Customers will need the NNPC Retail application to use the self-service facility, although staff will assist those unable to operate the application, Dagazau said.
The Abuja station is powered by solar energy, and NNPC is considering wider use of renewable energy across its retail network, he said.
Discover more from Energy News Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.