NNPC Postpones $700m Gas Pipeline Deadline To August

NNPC Postpones $700m Gas Pipeline Deadline To August....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The completion date for the $700 million OB3 gas pipeline project, initially scheduled for March 2024, has been postponed to August 2024, according to a recent announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). The project, which began in 2016, aims to link the Eastern gas pipeline network to the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System in the West and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline in the North.

The delay in completion was primarily due to challenges faced during the River Niger Crossing operation, where previous construction technologies failed to install the 48-inch pipe under the river bed. However, NNPC reported progress with the adoption of Micro-Tunnelling/Direct Pipe Installation technology by new contractors. As of now, approximately 860 meters of the 1,800 meters required have been successfully installed.

During an inspection tour at the River Niger Crossing operation, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, expressed optimism about the project’s imminent completion by mid-August. He highlighted the strategic importance of the OB3 gas pipeline, projecting it to add about 2.2 billion standard cubic feet of gas daily to Nigeria’s network, thereby supporting the country’s gas revolution.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, and other stakeholders also expressed confidence in the progress made, anticipating substantial benefits for Nigeria’s energy sector upon the project’s completion and commissioning later this year.