OB3 Pipeline: NNPC announces successful River Niger crossing

The NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company, NGIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NNPC Limited, has successfully completed the River Niger Crossing of the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben, OB3, Gas Pipeline.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Ojulari, described the milestone as a testament to disciplined execution and technical excellence.

Mr Ojulari, in a statement on Thursday, said the development marked a major milestone in the expansion of Nigeria’s national gas transmission network.

He said that the successful crossing unlocked full potential of the OB3 pipeline.

He described the pipeline as a strategic infrastructure designed to transport two billion standard cubic feet (bscf) of gas daily, strengthening energy availability, supply reliability and accelerating national economic development.

“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.”

Mr Ojulari said the completion of the OB3 River Niger Crossing was a clear demonstration of what disciplined execution and sustained commitment to excellence could deliver.

He said by traversing one of the most technically challenging sections of the project, it had unlocked a critical link for enhancing gas supply reliability, deepened domestic utilisation, and supported power generation and industrial growth.

“The achievement builds on NNPC Limited’s growing engineering and execution capability.

“It draws from the successful Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) River Niger crossing in June 2025, to deliver an even more complex crossing in the Niger Delta environment.

“This achievement is not incidental. It is the result of deliberately leveraging and upscaling our AKK engineering and execution excellence.

“This is through rigorous project governance, innovative engineering solutions, adaptive problem-solving, and the unwavering commitment of our teams and PCE Nig. Limited,” he said.

Mr Ojulari said that the OB3 pipeline was central to the company’s ambition of building an integrated and resilient gas network that underpins Nigeria’s energy security and economic development.

“I commend everyone involved for their doggedness and for staying the course to deliver this strategic national asset,” he said.

The GCEO further acknowledged the critical support of key stakeholders and continued support of President Bola Tinubu.

He said that Tinubu’s Gas-to-Prosperity agenda and commitment to a conducive business environment had been instrumental in making the achievement possible.

“NNPC Limited could also not have achieved this feat without the trust and guidance of its Board of Directors, under the leadership of our Chairman, Mr Ahmadu Kida.

“At NNPC Limited, we remain fully committed to translating Nigeria’s oil and gas resources into a better standard of living for all citizens.

“We will continue to collaborate with our partners to deliver projects that improve the overall wellbeing of Nigerians,” he said.

He further highlighted the strategic significance of the milestone against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s oil and gas production growth targets of three million barrels of crude oil per day and 12bscf of gas per day by 2030.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the successful River Niger Crossing ensures that Nigeria’s gas-producing regions are now physically interconnected with the rest of the country.

The OB3 Pipeline, with a capacity of 2bscf 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.

NAN