NNPC Completes River Niger Crossing on OB3 Gas Pipeline

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has achieved a significant technical milestone with the successful completion of the River Niger Crossing on the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline project. 

Executed using advanced Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology, the crossing — drilled approximately two kilometres beneath the riverbed between Ndoni in Rivers State and Aboh in Delta State — overcomes a major engineering challenge that had stalled the project for over three years. The breakthrough was delivered by the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) team in collaboration with PCE Nig. Limited. 

The 48-inch diameter OB3 pipeline is designed to transport up to 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day. Once fully operational, it will serve as a critical East-West interconnector, linking the rich gas fields and processing facilities in the eastern Niger Delta (including Obiafu-Obrikom) to the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) in the west and eventually supporting flows toward the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline in the north. 

This development is expected to substantially boost national gas availability, enhance domestic supply to power plants, industries, and commercial users, and accelerate Nigeria’s shift away from heavy dependence on traditional and imported energy sources. Industry stakeholders, including Aliko Dangote, have previously highlighted that full activation of OB3 could unlock significant economic value, potentially attracting billions of dollars in investments into gas utilisation, petrochemicals, and industrial growth.

The OB3 project, valued at around $700 million, has faced repeated delays due to the complex river crossing and technical setbacks with earlier methods. The successful adoption of HDD marks a triumph of engineering resilience and renewed project execution strategy under NNPC leadership.

With the river crossing now complete, focus shifts to final pipeline tying-in, testing, and commissioning. This milestone brings Nigeria closer to a more integrated national gas grid, supporting the Decade of Gas initiative and broader energy security objectives. NNPC has expressed confidence that the breakthrough will deliver tangible benefits in reliable gas supply and economic development in the near term.