- FG commends progress on transformative gas project
In a significant stride towards enhancing nationwide gas supply and stimulating industrialization and economic growth, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) is nearing completion of the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline project.
According to Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd., Abuja Olufemi Soneye, NNPC Ltd. Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, confirmed the progress during an inspection of the OB3 pipeline River Niger Crossing operation at Aboh, Delta State, on Saturday.
The OB3 Gas pipeline is a critical inter-connector linking the Eastern gas pipeline network to the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) in the West and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline in the North. The River Niger Crossing has been a major obstacle, delaying the project for over three years due to technological challenges in constructing the 48-inch pipe under the riverbed between Ndoni in Rivers State and Aboh in Delta State.
However, the adoption of Micro-Tunnelling/Direct Pipe Installation technology by new contractors HDD Thailand/Enikkom and Tunnelling Services Group (TSG) has advanced the project, achieving 860 metres of the required 1,800 metres so far.
Kyari expressed optimism following the inspection, highlighting the project’s imminent completion. “This is a monumental project for our country. I am confident that, by mid-August, we will complete this project, as assured by the project team,” Kyari stated.
The project is set to deliver approximately 2.2 billion standard cubic feet of gas into the network, providing a significant boost to the country’s energy supply. Kyari emphasized that this capacity would help meet demand over the next year and a half, enabling a gas revolution.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, also praised the progress, describing it as “Renewed Hope at work.” He noted the project’s acceleration since his last visit and expressed confidence in its completion by July or August, with commissioning anticipated by the President.
Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, echoed these sentiments, expressing eagerness for the project’s completion and its anticipated benefits for electricity and other sectors.
TSG Managing Director, Mr. Ingo Justen, supervising the project on-site, assured that the current technology would expedite the project’s completion.
Engr. Seyi Omotowa, Managing Director of NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), confirmed that the remaining work on the River Niger Crossing is on schedule with the new technology.
