The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s $700 million worth 130-kilometer Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben, OB3, Gas Pipeline has finally completed crossing the River Niger, 10 years after the project to expand Nigeria’s national gas transmission network began in 2016.
NNPCL’s spokesperson, Andy Odey, announced the historic milestone in a statement on Thursday.
The state-owned firm said the successful crossing would unlock the full potential of the OB3 Pipeline, aimed at connecting the eastern gas network to western and northern Nigeria.
Commenting on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, described the milestone as a testament to disciplined execution and technical excellence.
According to him, “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 utilization, and support power generation and industrial growth across the country.”
The OB3 Pipeline, with a capacity of 2 billion standard cubic feet per day, 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.
In the near term, 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.
Recall that in June last year, the AKK gas pipeline project also successfully completed the River Niger crossing.
