Piped Natural Gas for Cement, Ceramics, Glass and Chemical Plants
Kilns, dryers and glass furnaces run continuously and burn fuel directly, so a heavy process plant lives or dies on its cost of heat. Most Nigerian plants fire on LPFO or HFO, which has to be heated, stored, filtered and trucked. Piped natural gas arrives ready to burn, metered at the boundary, and typically costs 40 to 55 percent less than the liquid fuel it replaces.
Where the energy goes in a heavy process industry plant
Heavy process industry uses gas as a direct fuel first and as a power source second. The loads are large, continuous and sensitive to flame quality:
- Kilns and furnaces. Cement and lime kilns, ceramic tunnel and roller kilns, brick kilns and glass melting furnaces fire on gas burners with precise temperature control and no fuel-ash contamination of the product.
- Dryers and preheaters. Spray dryers, rotary dryers and raw-material preheaters that currently burn LPFO or diesel.
- Chemical process heat. Reactor heating, thermal-oil heaters and steam boilers in chemical, paint, soap and fertiliser blending plants.
- Captive power. Grinding, crushing and materials handling run on self-generated power, which moves to gas engines or turbines on the same supply.
What changes, load by load
Most of the plant stays exactly as it is. The fuel changes, and with it the burner or the engine that uses it. Diesel today is around ₦1,800 per litre at the pump before transport, storage and losses.
| Load | Today | On piped gas | Change needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiln or glass furnace | LPFO or HFO | Natural gas burners | Burner, train and control swap |
| Dryers | LPFO or diesel | Natural gas | Burner swap |
| Thermal-oil heater or boiler | LPFO or diesel | Natural gas | Burner swap |
| Captive power | Diesel or HFO generators | Gas engines or turbines | New gas sets or bi-fuel conversion |
How much gas a plant like yours needs
Direct-fired process heat is measured in energy, and one MMSCFD of pipeline gas carries about 1,000 MMBtu per day. A kiln or furnace running at 10 MMBtu per hour therefore needs roughly 0.25 MMSCFD on its own, before captive power is added at 0.2 to 0.25 MMSCFD per megawatt. Plants in this sector commonly land between 0.5 and 3 MMSCFD. See the MMSCFD explainer for the conversions.
What piped gas changes for heavy process industry
Product quality
Gas burns without ash or sulphur residue, so there is no fuel contamination of ceramics, glass or white cement, and flame temperature is easier to hold.
No fuel handling
LPFO and HFO need heated storage, filtration and sludge disposal. Piped gas removes the tank farm and the tanker schedule.
Continuous operation
A kiln cannot stop for a late delivery. The pipeline delivers around the clock with no storage to run down.
Lower maintenance
Clean combustion means fewer burner cleanings, less refractory damage from flame impingement and longer intervals on generation plant.
Distribution areas for this sector
Heavy industry clusters along our Oghara-Sapele and Ibusa and Asaba corridors in Delta State, at Awka in Anambra State, and in the gas-intensive zones planned for AMIC and Ogidigben. Gasland Horizon is the exclusive franchise holder for piped natural gas distribution in each of these zones, in joint venture with NNPC Gas Marketing Limited. See all distribution areas.
Questions from heavy process industry operators
Yes. The kiln body stays as it is. The burner, fuel train and controls are replaced with natural gas equipment, which is a standard conversion for cement, lime, ceramic and brick kilns. Flame control usually improves because gas needs no preheating or atomising.
Natural gas is the standard fuel for glass melting worldwide because it burns clean and holds temperature precisely. A piped supply removes the fuel-quality variation that comes with liquid fuels.
Supply is sized to verified demand, and heavy process plants are exactly the anchor loads our corridors are built around. Our flagship Ibusa area carries audited demand in excess of 4 MMSCFD across anchor customers. Share your fuel consumption through the Energy Data Form and we confirm what we can deliver to your boundary.
Other sectors: all manufacturing, power generation and IPPs, industrial parks, hotels and commercial.
Ready to cut your energy costs?
Complete the Energy Data Form or call +234 802 292 2952. We reply within three business days.