Piped Natural Gas for Light Manufacturing and Agro-Processing
Most factories in Delta and Anambra are not steel mills. They are plastics and packaging plants, sawmills and furniture works, rice and palm-oil mills, textile and printing shops, all running on diesel generators because the grid cannot be relied on. For these plants the saving is almost entirely in power, and piped natural gas on gas engines is the cheapest reliable power available to them.
Where the energy goes in a light manufacturing and agro-processing plant
Light manufacturing is power-led. The machines are electric, the generator is the energy bill, and the generator runs on diesel. A few sectors add process heat:
- Captive power. Injection moulders, extruders, looms, printing presses, saws and planers, mills and conveyors, all running on self-generated electricity for most of the working day.
- Process heat where it exists. Parboiling boilers in rice mills, sterilisers in palm-oil mills, kiln drying in sawmills, dryers in textile finishing, and ovens in packaging and printing.
- Compressed air and cooling. Compressors and chillers that run whenever the plant runs, and which are often the hidden half of the electrical load.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captive power | Diesel generators | Gas engines or bi-fuel conversion | Convert existing sets or install gas sets |
| Parboiling or steriliser boiler | Firewood, husk or diesel | Natural gas burner | Burner swap or new gas boiler |
| Kiln drying | Firewood or diesel | Natural gas | Burner swap |
| Ovens and dryers | Diesel or LPG | Natural gas | Piped to point of use |
How much gas a plant like yours needs
Because the load is mostly power, sizing is simple: roughly 0.2 to 0.25 MMSCFD for each megawatt of continuous generation. A plant running a 500 kVA generator for a ten-hour shift needs well under 0.1 MMSCFD, and a cluster of such plants on one industrial road adds up to the anchor volumes that justify a spur line. That is why we also work with industrial park developers to aggregate demand across tenants.
What piped gas changes for light manufacturing and agro-processing
The generator is the business
When power is 20 to 40 percent of operating cost, a 40 to 55 percent cut in generator fuel changes the economics of the whole plant.
Small plants connect too
A spur line is sized to a corridor, not to one customer. Neighbouring plants on the same road share the infrastructure and each connects at its own gate.
Nothing to store
No tanker, no tank, no pilferage and no advance fuel purchase. You pay in arrears on the meter.
Cleaner than firewood or husk
Agro-processors that burn biomass for boilers get stable heat, no ash handling and a healthier shop floor.
Distribution areas for this sector
The Oghara-Sapele corridor in Ethiope-West is a centre for sawmills and agro-processing, Awka and the Ibusa and Asaba corridor host plastics, packaging and general manufacturing, and AMIC is being planned with gas-ready plots for light industry. 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 light manufacturing and agro-processing operators
Usually not. Connections are sized to a corridor, and several plants on one industrial road together form the anchor demand for a spur line. Register your demand through the Energy Data Form even if your load is a single generator; it is how we sequence where the network goes next.
Most diesel generators above about 100 kVA can be converted to bi-fuel operation, running mostly on gas with a small diesel pilot, without replacing the engine. For a new installation, a dedicated gas engine gives the lowest running cost. We compare both in the savings assessment.
Yes. The mill's power moves to gas engines, and the parboiling or sterilising boiler converts to a natural gas burner, which gives steady steam without ash, smoke or firewood supply problems.
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.