The Nigerian Government has commissioned a Hydro carbon plant in Ikenne, Ogun State to produce high grade Hydro carbon refrigerants which are to be used in the Refrigerant Services Sector.The plant was built in a renewed effort to ensure the phasing out of
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by the year 2040 in line with Montreal
Protocol agreement on Substances that Deplete the Ozone layer to which
Nigeria is a party.
At the commissioning of the plant, the Minister of State for
Environment, Mr Ibrahim Jibril, said that the plant would greatly
mitigate the negative consequences on Nigeria’s ecological system and
human health occasioned by the use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
He stated that the first stage implementation of the
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP), which
commenced in 2011, was expected to be completed before the end of the
year.
“The hydrocarbon pilot project is one of the main components of the
project and it is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of replacing
the current use of HCFCs refrigerant in the Refrigeration and
Air-Conditioning (RAC) sector with the Hydrocarbon refrigerant-based
technology,” Mr Jibril explained.
The Minister further said that the ministry would ensure that
stakeholders in the sector nationwide would be properly trained in the
use of the new technology.
Mr Jibril stated that economic development had largely been
unsustainable because it had been supported by the use of hydrocarbon
fuels and chemicals which unfortunately were damaging the ecosystem and
harmful to human health.
He maintained that, with the commissioning of the plant, there would
be a remarkable economic development, as the project had the potential
of creating jobs, providing foreign exchange and building local capacity
to produce energy efficient low Global warming Potential (GWPs) gases
among other benefits.
The Minister further called on the private sector to invest in the
operation and marketing of the hydrocarbon refrigerants products,
stressing that the Government was considering harnessing the products of
the Hydrocarbon plant (Butane), as a source of clean fuel for cooking
and an alternative for firewood.
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