Nigeria Plan to Power High Speed Rail with Gas- FG
The Federal Government says Nigeria’s gas reserves will be harnessed to fuel the country’s ambitious railway projects, including a 4,000 km high-speed rail network designed to travel at 350 km/h and reshape connectivity across Africa.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, made the disclosure on Monday at the 2025 International Railway Conference in Abuja, organised by the Federal Ministry of Transportation in partnership with De-Sadel Nigeria Limited.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Louis Ibah, Ekpo said the project would open new trade routes, stimulate investment, and drive large-scale industrial growth.
“For decades, our economy was built around crude oil while gas remained underutilised. Today, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this is changing,” Ekpo said. “The Decade of Gas Initiative has made gas the core of Nigeria’s energy strategy, shifting it from an oil by-product to the backbone of our industrial future.”
Nigeria currently has proven reserves of 210 trillion cubic feet of gas, with a potential upside of 600 trillion cubic feet. Ekpo noted that such resources can provide affordable, sustainable energy for capital-intensive railway infrastructure, ensuring efficiency and reducing costs.
He explained that gas-to-power projects would supply reliable electricity for railway stations, industrial hubs, and urban centres linked to the rail system. Natural gas, he added, could also be converted into cleaner fuels such as Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) and LNG, cutting carbon emissions while powering modern rail operations.
The minister further highlighted that the high-speed rail would unlock new economic corridors where gas-driven industries—fertiliser plants, petrochemical complexes, methanol facilities, and CNG hubs—could thrive, turning connected cities into industrial growth poles.
“With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), these gas-powered rail-linked industries will strengthen Nigeria’s position as the industrial and energy hub of West and Central Africa,” Ekpo said.
He stressed that the initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to industrialise Nigeria, create jobs, and lift millions out of poverty through sustainable energy and infrastructure development.
