By how much will the OB3 Gas Pipeline boost local supply come March?
Before it got to now, the OB3 gas pipeline had to manoeuvre several obstacles that prolonged its completion. Like the massive 2018 flood and the former contractor showing that they could not sort out some technical demands.
Even though Nigeria has about 208 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas deposits, most of these remain largely untapped proven reserves due to minimal investment. Still, the government is working on ways to distribute what it has gathered so far. Hopefully, the coming-on into service of the Obiafu/Obrikom/Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in Rivers State will help speed up supply to power generating plants households.
By March, says the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, 42 inches and 127 km-long OB3 pipeline would have firmed up itself to supply the newly built Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) pipeline serving as a link between the northern corridor and the Niger Delta where production of gas is taking place.
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In Nigeria right now, people are not yet there where they have a set of energy mix that they can rely on to provide electricity all the time. Minister Ekpo gave a keynote address at the presidential banquet hall in Abuja where the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) on Tuesday, to pitch on how there can be a turnaround.
The OB3 gas pipeline is a vital piece of gas infrastructure for the supply of feedstock to the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, another milestone in our journey towards a gas-focused economy, according to the minister.
OB3 is a construction phase natural gas pipeline, running from the Obiafu-Obrikom gas plant to the Oben node in Nigeria.
I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in constructing this critical infrastructure project, and we are on track to ensure its completion and inauguration as scheduled.
The past months have seen a very sharp rise in cooking gas prices, which households struggle to afford. There has also been severe power outages. That blip has been tied to the limited supply of gas to the consumers, which is also connected to gas companies diverting their production to mostly export.
So, if there were to be sufficient local distribution to the most populated area of the country and the power generating companies, perhaps the inflationary strain caused by few gas supplies would be eased.
Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo admitted the problem when he said that, Nigeria is currently facing challenges as it continues the journey of National development. But at the same time, he adds, these challenges also present a unique opportunity to seize the moment and define the future.
Before it got to now, the OB3 gas pipeline had to manoeuvre several obstacles that prolonged its completion. Like the massive 2018 flood and the former contractor showing that they could not sort out some technical demands. But it is fate that the pipeline will be finished come March.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
