The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says it plans to deploy between 50 and 70 smart self-service fuelling stations across the country within the next six months.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., Dr Mumuni Dagazau, disclosed this on Thursday at the commissioning of the NNPC Retail Limited smart mega fuelling station along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road, Abuja.
Dagazau said the initiative was part of the company’s plan to transform conventional filling stations into modern energy hubs where motorists could access multiple energy and retail services under one roof.
The Abuja facility, located between the Flight Training School and the Nigerian Immigration Service Headquarters, is powered by a 200-kilowatt-hour solar system.
It has a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, with 16 PMS pumps and two AGO dispensing pumps.
The station also provides self-service fuel dispensing, electric vehicle charging, gas dispensing, automated car washing and vehicle servicing.
According to Dagazau, about four or five additional smart stations are expected to be established in Abuja, while two others are planned for Kano as part of the initial expansion.
“We are hoping to roll out a significant number, between 50 and 70 of these types of stations within the next six months,” he said.
He explained that the new model was designed to respond to changing consumer expectations and technological advancement in the petroleum retail sector.
“What we are doing is turning from a filling station to an energy hub,” Dagazau said.
He added that customers would be able to access different forms of energy, including petrol, gas, electricity and electric vehicle charging facilities, from the smart stations.
Dagazau said customers would use the NNPC Retail mobile application to access the self-service facilities and make payments.
He noted that the application was free to download, while personnel would be available to assist customers who might have difficulty using the digital platform.
The EVP said the stations would be accessible round the clock, allowing motorists to dispense fuel or charge electric vehicles at any time, including at night.
He added that the facilities would be equipped with fast electric vehicle chargers capable of charging a vehicle in about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the vehicle type and battery level.
Beyond petrol and electricity, Dagazau said the smart stations would offer Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Compressed Natural Gas, lubricants, automated car wash and other vehicle-related services.
He disclosed that NNPC would modernise some existing stations under the programme, while new facilities would be constructed where customer demand justified the investment.
Dagazau dismissed concerns that automation and self-service operations could lead to massive job losses, saying the new stations would instead create employment opportunities.
“What we are doing is creating jobs. Somebody has to support the integration and automation, while personnel are also needed to support customers using the EV facilities,” he said.
He explained that the major change would be in how services were delivered, with technology being deployed to improve convenience, speed and customer experience.
The NNPC executive also disclosed that the company was considering greater deployment of renewable energy across its retail network, citing the solar-powered Abuja facility as an example.
“We cannot ignore innovation and technology and leave our stations the way they have always been. In the next few years, most NNPC stations will look like this,” he said.
Dagazau further revealed that plans were underway to establish CNG conversion facilities at some of the smart stations.
According to him, such facilities would enable motorists to convert their vehicles to CNG while accessing other services at the same location.
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