Choosing a site at AMIC or an industrial park: why gas-readiness is an energy decision

When a manufacturer chooses where to build, the shortlist usually turns on land, road access, proximity to markets and any incentives on offer. Energy is often treated as something to sort out later. For a gas-intensive operation, that is the wrong order. Power and process heat are frequently the largest line on the running cost sheet, so how a site is powered can matter more over the life of the plant than the price of the land. Gas-readiness is not a utilities footnote. It is an energy decision, and it belongs at the top of the site-selection checklist.

What "gas-ready" actually means

A gas-ready site is one where piped natural gas can be delivered to your gate at the capacity your operation needs, on a defined commercial basis. In practice that means three things are in place or planned: a distribution network that reaches the site, the metering and pressure regulation to connect you, and a distributor able to size supply to your load. A plot next to a high-pressure transmission line is not automatically gas-ready; what makes it ready is a distribution franchise building the last mile to industrial users.

Why it belongs in site selection

• It sets your running cost for years. A gas-ready site lets you run on the cheapest reliable fuel from day one. A site without it locks you into diesel and its logistics until, and unless, a network arrives.
• It de-risks your capital plan. Knowing gas is coming lets you specify gas-fired or bi-fuel generation up front, rather than buying diesel plant you later replace.
• It affects when you can scale. Piped gas grows with your load. If energy is an afterthought, expansion can stall on power.
• It is hard to retrofit cheaply. Securing supply and capacity early, before the network is built past you, is far easier than negotiating a connection into a finished estate.

Questions to ask before you commit to a site

• Is piped natural gas available at this site today, or is it planned, and on what timeline?
• Who holds the gas distribution franchise for the area, and are they actively building?
• What capacity can be delivered to my gate, and can it scale with my expansion plans?
• How is supply contracted and billed, and who are the counterparties to the agreement?
• Can I register my demand now so capacity is sized around my load from the start?

Why industrial parks and AMIC change the maths

Individual plots are hard to make gas-ready one at a time. Industrial parks, estates and planned developments change that, because they aggregate many tenants' demand into a single, bankable case for building a network. That is why a park that offers piped gas attracts energy-intensive manufacturers: the utility is solved before they arrive. The Anambra Mixed Use Industrial City (AMIC) is the clearest local example, and the planned Ogidigben Gas Industrial Park is built around gas from the outset.

Gas-readiness in Anambra and Delta

Across its franchise zones in Anambra and Delta States, Gasland Horizon is the exclusive franchise holder for piped natural gas distribution: Awka, AMIC, the Oghara-Sapele corridor, Ibusa and Ogidigben. If you are evaluating a site in or near one of these areas, engage early. Registering your demand lets us size network capacity to your load and sequence the build-out to reach you. Developers can also read about making an industrial park or estate gas-ready.

Start with your numbers

Complete the Energy Data Form with your equipment and consumption profile, and our commercial team will tell you what gas can do for your site, at no cost and with no obligation.