NNPC Completes OB3 Pipeline River Niger Crossing

Nigeria's Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited announced the successful completion of the River Niger crossing on the 130-kilometer Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline, known as OB3, marking a major advance in the country's gas infrastructure.

The milestone, achieved by NNPC's wholly owned subsidiary, the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company, unlocks the pipeline's full capacity to transport up to two billion standard cubic feet of gas per day. Engineers executed the crossing about two kilometers beneath the River Niger riverbed using advanced horizontal directional drilling technology in collaboration with contractor PCE Nigeria Limited. NNPC disclosed the achievement in a statement on Thursday.

The project connects Nigeria's eastern and western gas networks, extending supply lines to the northern corridor via the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline. In the near term, it is expected to add over 500 million standard cubic feet of incremental gas supply to the domestic market, bolstering power generation, industrial operations and economic activity.

Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari hailed the feat as a defining moment for national gas infrastructure. "The completion of the OB3...