NNPCL to deploy 70 self-service stations nationwide in 6 months

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Thursday announced plans to deploy between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across the country within the next six months.

The Abuja model is located along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road, Abuja.

The initiative, according to the company, was part of a broader plan to transform its conventional retail outlets into modern energy and mobility hubs offering petrol, electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and other services.

Executive Vice President (Downstream) NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, said this in Abuja at the commissioning of a technology-driven service station with an electric vehicle charging facility.

According to him, the newly commissioned station was the first of several smart outlets to be introduced nationwide.

The concept, he said, was aimed at moving beyond traditional petrol retailing to provide customers with multiple energy and mobility services at a single location.

“This is the first of many smart stations that we are going to have around the country. What the whole concept is, we are trying to turn from a filling station to an energy hub, and we are rolling out a lot of stations. I think even in Abuja, for this type of station, we have about four or five. We have another two that we’re launching out in Kano. This sort of smart stations that we’re doing.

“We are hoping to roll out a significant number, probably about 50 to 70 of these types of stations within the next six months. So this is what you’ll be seeing going forward from NNPC.

“So what you see here is that we are using all sorts of energy available to us, including EV, electric energy. We are going to be using gas; we are going to be using petrol. So it’s a centre where you can come, and we are going to be calling it our energy hub,” Dagazau said.

By design, the new model will allow customers to dispense petrol themselves, including at night, through a digital payment system, while the attendants will remain at the stations to assist customers.

On fear that the initiative could result in job losses, Dagazau contended  that on the contrary, the expanded services would require more workers to operate and support the technology.

He said:  “Well, you saw all of the pumps have attendants. So I really don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to jobs. What NNPC does is create jobs. What this does is create a job.

“You have an energy hub today. If you look at the average filling station and you look at the energy hub, you’ll find more people in the energy hub than you would find in the filling stations, right? So what we are doing is creating jobs for that. Somebody has to support the integration.

“Somebody has to support automation. EVs, we have to be here to support people. So nothing really changes for us. What we’re doing is just what the delivery to the customer is. The guarantee, the comfort of the customer, that’s really what we’re after. That’s what smart delivery is all about.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, NNPC Limited, Shettima Baba-Kukawa, informed the gathering that the Abuja station had a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.

With 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six electric vehicle charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works, the facility is powered entirely by solar energy through a system with a capacity of more than 200 kilowatts.

 Besides, Baba-Kukawa said the major features of the outlet include a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities, while CNG and a vehicle conversion centre were also planned.

On how the station is to operate, Dagazau said, “The station is going to run 24 hours. And it is fully self-service. So for customers who want to trust themselves and dispense themselves, they can actually do that. Transactions are done on their phone app and concluded by dispensing the exact amount of fuel they purchased into their tanks.”

He further said where a customer has a challenge using the digital system, the NNPC chief said there would be support staff on ground  to assist them.

On what the NNPC plans with the existing stations, he said, “We’re going to modernise our station. That’s the word that we’re going to say.

“You don’t want to be going into the same station every day, every day, every day. You are demanding, so our modernisation is a demand from what the customer wants. The customer deserves a better quality of service, and we are delivering that quality of service.”

Also speaking on the initiative, the Managing Director, NNPC Retail, Huub Stokman, said it had become imperative as the downstream petroleum market evolved following deregulation and the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery.

According to him, while the demand for quality products by customers was on the increase, there was a need for competitive prices, faster services, digital payments and alternative energy options such as EV charging and CNG.

Continuing, he said, “Above all, especially the younger generation, they want us to deliver it sustainably, hence the fact that you also see that this station is completely solar-powered.”