From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government, on Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) to expand the supply and utilisation of gas in the state.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai who spoke during the event held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna  said that Kaduna State was ready for gas and welcomed the project as it will bring additional source of energy nearer to the residents in the state.
El-Rufai expressed the State’s commitment to the gas project which he described as “a welcome boost to our investment and job creation strategy”, saying, “It will create jobs and provide skills for artisans who will work on the gas pipelines and associated infrastructure.
“Beyond that, this project will power the industries that have responded with enthusiasm to our investment promotion campaign”.
The governor disclosed that “the Kaduna State Government has since 2015 worked to create two new industrial areas in the state. The Green Agro-Allied Industrial Zone (GAAIZ) is located in Chikun Local Government Area, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway, while the Green Economic Zone (GEZ) is in Igabi Local Government Area.
“GAAIZ is already hosting investments like the Olam project, the fertiliser plant of OCP of Morocco and DPAN, the joint venture between Dangote Industries and Peugeot for vehicle assembly. Just this week, the African Development Bank disclosed that it will be financing our Special Agro-Processing Zone within the GAAIZ. The Green Economic Zone is being developed as an industrial park for light manufacturing industries.”
El-rufai noted that gas provides a cost-effective option for powering factories, homes and vehicles, assuring the NNPC that “our industrial parks provide clear evidence that Kaduna is ready for gas. The potential customers are here, and this gas expansion project will only attract more business customers. We expect that this gas project will also help expand power supply capacity and options in Kaduna State.
“It will provide feedstock for the 215MW power plant in Kudenda. I am happy to inform you that the Kaduna State Government will also locate an 84MW power plant in Kudenda, also to be powered by gas. The combined effect of these two power plants will be to make power supply more reliable in Kaduna State”.
The governor, however, expressed gratitude to Malam Mele Kyari and the NNPC team for the remarkable developmental initiative and the evident zeal of the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria to deliver the gas project in Kaduna State.
In his address, Commissioner Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology, Idris Nyam, said that the purpose of the project was  to promote gas development and utilisation projects within Kaduna State in alignment with the AKK Gas Pipeline project and the national objective of stimulating industrialisation through gas commercialisation.
In his remarks, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Malam Mele Kyari, said the NNPC’s focus was to deliver gas into the domestic market.
“We know that it is the game changer for our country, particularly more so for Kaduna State.The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline will be delivered on schedule” Kyari said.