HBM Nigeria Plc has stepped up its drive to promote cleaner energy with the commissioning of a high-capacity Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station at its Mfamosing Plant in Cross River State, as the company moves to reduce its reliance on conventional fuels in its logistics operations.
The facility, which began operations with the capacity to fuel up to 150 trucks daily, is expected to serve approximately 250 trucks every day when its second phase comes on stream in October 2026.
With an installed capacity of 144,000 standard cubic metres of CNG per day, the station has two pumps and four dispensing points and is designed to operate round the clock, the company said.
The investment is expected to support HBM Nigeria’s transition towards cleaner and more efficient energy use while also reducing refuelling delays, improving truck availability and speeding up the movement of goods.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of HBM Nigeria Plc, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said the investment reflected the company’s commitment to sustainability and more efficient operations.
“Energy and logistics remain significant cost drivers for the company and its value chain. By increasing the use of CNG, we are creating more efficient and more cost-effective operations,” Alade-Akinyemi said.
He said the project aligned with the Federal Government’s drive to promote CNG as an alternative and cleaner energy source, adding that HBM Nigeria would utilise “cleaner, environmentally friendly, more efficient and effective energy sources.”
The company’s Logistics Director, Osaze Aghatise, said HBM Nigeria had used CNG in its logistics operations for nine years, but the new facility represented a significant expansion in the scale of deployment.
“We have been using CNG in our logistics operations in the last nine years, but what changes today is the scale of deployment,” Aghatise said.
He explained that the first phase would serve up to 150 trucks daily, while the second phase would raise the capacity to about 250 trucks daily from October, describing the development as a move from an initiative to a fully scaled CNG-powered logistics operation.
According to him, the benefits would extend beyond cleaner energy to improved service delivery, as shorter refuelling queues and reduced waiting time would enable trucks to return to the road faster.
“For us, the real value is what this does for our customers and our operations — shorter refuelling queues, reduced truck waiting time, better truck availability and faster turnaround,” Aghatise said.
Also speaking, the Cross River State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Ekpeyong EneCobhams, commended HBM Nigeria for the investment, saying the state government remained committed to creating an environment where businesses and investors could thrive.
“This is an era of not just mobility but also of efficiency in the choice of power sources used to deliver goods and services,” EneCobhams said, while commending the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility.
A transporter and Managing Director of JozaGlobal Logistics Limited, Emmanuel Usiakpor, described the CNG mother station as a major development for transport operators, while HBM Nigeria’s Procurement Director, Gabriel Ibiyemi, said the project demonstrated what disciplined sourcing and effective collaboration could achieve.
