April 30, (THEWILL) — Nigeria’s drive towards energy security and industrial expansion received a major boost on Thursday as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, announced the successful completion of the technically challenging River Niger Crossing on the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline project.
The milestone, achieved by the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NNPC Ltd, marks a significant advancement in the expansion of the country’s gas transmission network and reinforces the Federal Government’s gas-to-power and industrialisation agenda.
The crossing, executed approximately two kilometres beneath the River Niger riverbed using advanced Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology, is regarded as one of the most complex engineering feats ever undertaken in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
With the successful completion of the crossing, the full operational potential of the 130-kilometre OB3 Gas Pipeline has now been unlocked, paving the way for the transportation of up to two billion standard cubic feet of gas per day across Nigeria’s national gas grid.
The development is expected to significantly improve domestic gas availability, boost power generation, strengthen industrial growth, and enhance supply reliability across the country.
Speaking on the achievement, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, described the project as a landmark accomplishment for Nigeria’s gas infrastructure development.
According to him, the successful crossing demonstrates the company’s engineering strength, disciplined project execution, and unwavering commitment to national development.
“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 utilisation, and support power generation and industrial growth across the country,” Ojulari stated.
He explained that the achievement further validates NNPC Ltd’s growing technical and execution capacity, especially following the successful AKK River Niger Crossing completed in June 2025.
Ojulari noted that the company deliberately leveraged the lessons, expertise, and engineering standards developed during the AKK project to deliver an even more complex crossing within the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta region.
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