The NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), has successfully completed the River Niger Crossing of the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline.
The chief corporate communications officer of NNPC Ltd, Andy Odeh, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
The $700 million OB3 gas pipeline project being built by NNPC Ltd has been under construction for years and has missed several deadlines.
The pipeline was initially intended to be completed by the end of 2017 but technical challenges, including horizontal drilling under major rivers, complicated work, according to reports.
In 2018 it was reported that rain and flooding delayed the construction of the pipeline, and that the new expected date of completion was second quarter 2019.
Since then, other factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and general slowdown due to changes in contracting agreements, have been blamed for the inability of the project to come onstream.
On Thursday, the NNPC said the successful crossing unlocks the full potential of the OB3 Pipeline, a strategic infrastructure designed to transport up to 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Mr Odeh said executed approximately two kilometres beneath the River Niger riverbed, the technically complex crossing was delivered by the NNPC project team working with PCE Nig. Limited, using advanced horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology.
Commending the achievement, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Ojulari, described the milestone as a testament to disciplined execution and technical excellence.
He said the completion of the OB3 River Niger Crossing is a defining milestone for Nigeria’s gas infrastructure and a clear demonstration of what disciplined execution and sustained commitment to excellence can deliver.
“By successfully traversing one of the most technically challenging sections of the project, we have unlocked a critical link that will enhance gas supply reliability, deepen domestic utilisation, and support power generation and industrial growth across the country,” he said.
Mr Ojulari said the achievement is not incidental.
“It is the result of deliberately leveraging and upscaling our Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) engineering and execution excellence through rigorous project governance, innovative engineering solutions, adaptive problem-solving, and the unwavering commitment of our teams and PCE Nig. Limited.
“The OB3 pipeline is central to our ambition of building an integrated and resilient gas network that underpins Nigeria’s energy security and economic development. I commend everyone involved for their doggedness and for staying the course to deliver this strategic national asset.”
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Reaffirming the company’s mandate, he said: “At NNPC Limited, we remain fully committed to translating Nigeria’s oil and gas resources into a better standard of living for all citizens. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to deliver projects that expand energy availability, stimulate industrialisation, and improve the overall wellbeing of Nigerians.
“The successful River Niger Crossing ensures that Nigeria’s gas-producing regions are now physically interconnected with the rest of the country,” he said.
The gas pipeline
The OB3 Pipeline, with a capacity of 2 billion standard cubic feet per day, according to the NNPC, serves as a backbone gas infrastructure linking the Eastern gas network to the Western network and extending connectivity to the Northern corridor through the AKK Pipeline.
“The successful crossing is expected to unlock over 500 million standard cubic feet of incremental gas supply for the domestic market, supporting power generation, industrial growth, and gas supply to the West African market,” the NNPC said.
