President Muhammadu Buhari will today inaugurate the construction of the 614km-long Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline Project – the single largest gas pipeline project in Nigeria’s history. The $2.8 billion natural gas project is a joint venture project between Oilserv Limited, an indigenous oil and gas pipelines and Facilities Company, and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
It forms the first phase of the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP) project which is part of the 4,401km-long Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) to export natural gas to countries in Europe. The AKK pipeline is slated to originate from Ajaokuta and pass through Abuja and Kaduna, before ending at a terminal gas station in Kano.
Its flag-off will mark the beginning of the implementation of the plan to create a steady and guaranteed gas supply network between the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, by utilising the country’s widely available gas resources. It is also expected to reduce the large volume of gas flared annually in Nigeria, as well as the subsequent environmental impact it causes.
The gas pipeline project is also expected to promote and increase the local usage of domestic gas while increasing the nation’s revenue generation through the export of natural gas.