Nigeria’s state hydrocarbon firm NNPC Limited has reported successful completion of the River Niger Crossing of the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline.
“It’s the crucial “milestone in the expansion of Nigeria’s national gas transmission network”, the company declares in a statement.
The project is being constructed by NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NNPC Limited. Construction has so far lasted over 13 years, with the River Niger Crossing taking over six years and becoming the chain that determines the rate of construction.
“The successful crossing unlocks the full potential of the OB3 Pipeline, a strategic infrastructure designed to transport up to 2Billion standard cubic feet of gas per day”, the statement notes. “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”.
With the crossing, the construction has between five and 10 kilometres pipe-work to reach mechanical completion, after which is the commissioning phase. The River Niger Crossing is an important chokehold, but its resolution does not finalise the OB3 construction.
“The OB3 Pipeline will serve 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 500Million standard cubic feet of incremental gas supply for the domestic market, supporting power generation, industrial growth, and gas supply to the West African market”, NNPC says.
