The Petroleum Technology Development fund (PTDF) said it would establish a national coordination centre for research on development of biofuel and other attractive resources in Kaduna.
Acting Executive Secretary of the Fund, Alhaji Galadima Aminu, announced this on Wednesday in Abuja at the the annual oil and gas research grant peer review on 2014/2015 research cycle.
“Talking about renewable energy and biofeuls production, let me use this opportunity to read our plans to establish a national coordination centre for research development on biofuel and other attracting production in Kaduna.
“It will be domiciled at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic studies in Kaduna,” he said.
He added that the recent discovery of oil in Lagos and Chad basin had brightened prospect of oil discovery in Nigeria, adding that it had potential to boost the nation’s oil reserve.
He said that PTDF was ready to sponsor researches in biofuels and biogas, noting that resources had been committed to those areas.
“I am glad to tell you that the result has been positive, although more work needs to be done.
“I am reliably informed that efforts are being intensified to have this biofuel in commercial scale in the next research cycle,” he added.
He called on national and international oil companies to cooperate with Nigerian researchers by providing them with relevant data, monetary and material assistance.
According to him, it will help them to showcase the product of research for sustainable growth and development in Nigeria economy.
He added that it would encourage them to contribute to solving specific industry problems, promote job creation and knowledge transfer in the country.
On the research grant competition, he said that six awardees got the grant for the fifth series of the competition.
Aminu said that the award was done on transparent selection process by the fund, adding that two awardees were asked to extend their research to prior stages, to improve the integrity and reliability of its product for possible commercialisation.
“I am glad to announce that two of the researches extended have secured intellectual property rights and patent.
“Three of the six awarded in this cycle has showed high prospects of achieving potent certifications.”
“This is a milestone achievement in the first drive to fulfill one of the fund’s primary mandates of sponsoring researches of relevance for the oil and gas industry,” he said.
He added that the aim of the annual oil and gas research grant was to develop indigenous manpower in the country.(NAN)