Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline project in Nigeria on track

Construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline project in Ngeria is on track. Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) head Mele Kyari assured the project will be completed on schedule. The affirmation follows concerns that China concerns Chinese funding for the pipeline has dried up and that Nigeria was seeking new sources of financing.

“I want to state clearly the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline is progressing well. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has highlighted the need to deepen domestic gas consumption with a view to creating prosperity out of the enormous gas resources we have as a nation. He has given us all the necessary support and incentives to deliver on this project,” said Kyari.

The AKK pipeline is a 614km-long pipeline being developed by NNPC to transport natural gas from southern Nigeria to central Nigeria. The gas pipeline project was flagged off in July this year by President Muhammadu Buhari. Mele Kyari announced that at the moment, the project which covers a distance of over 600 kilometers is approximately 15% complete and they are certain to deliver it on schedule.

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Build-own-operate-transfer basis

The pipeline is being developed on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis under public-private partnership (PPP), supervised by Nigeria’s Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). The project is being executed in three phases. The first phase covers a distance of 200 kilometers between Ajaokuta and Abuja, while the second and the third phases cover a distance of 193 kilometers and 221 kilometers, from Abuja to Kaduna, and from Kaduna to Kano respectively.

Brentex/China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau-CPP Consortia and Oilserve/China First Highway Engineering Company-CFHEC Consortia were announced as the Engineering Procurement and Construction contractors for the project.

The project which is reputed to be the single biggest gas pipeline project in the West African country’s history is expected to transport approximately 3.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day from the delta to power plants in the south of the country. The pipeline is set to eventually extend to the North Africa region.