Ekperikpe Ekpo Highlights Crucial Role of OB3 in Nigeria’s Gas Infrastructure
The Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, announced yesterday in Abuja, during the opening session of the seventh Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES 2024), that the Obrikom, Obiafo, and Oben (OB3) gas pipeline project is set to be completed by March 2024. Ekpo emphasized the significance of the OB3 pipeline project as a vital link to the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, forming a crucial part of Nigeria’s gas infrastructure.
“We have to increase gas production, and one of the most important aspects of the gas for distribution is the OB3 project, which will enable the taking up of gas from the South-South part of the country up to the West and the North,” stated Ekpo.
The minister expressed the government’s commitment to ensuring the timely completion of key gas projects, facilitating a smooth transition to natural gas, a cornerstone of the government’s energy strategy.
The OB3 gas pipeline project is a substantial 127 km, 48-inch gas pipeline, making it one of the most significant gas transmission pipelines in Nigeria and Africa in terms of pipe size. Accompanied by a Gas Treatment Plant (GTP), the facility has a robust capacity of producing 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day (2bscf/d). Stretching from the Obiafu-Obrikom gas plant near Omuku, Rivers State, the OB3 gas pipeline extends to Oben, Edo State.
Initially scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2019, the project faced delays due to adverse weather conditions, including rain and flooding, impacting construction progress by August 2018. Further hindrances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and slowdowns linked to alterations in contracting agreements, have collectively contributed to the project’s prolonged delay over nearly eight years.