Oilserv Limited, the contractor handling the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project, says the pipeline has crossed the River Niger. The contractor said this in an update on its X handle on Tuesday.
Oilserv announced the successful completion of a critical phase of the pipeline crossing the River Niger using a technology aimed at preserving the environment. The company also reiterated its commitment to driving Nigeria’s energy transition.
“We have successfully crossed the 40-inch x 1.6km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline through the River Niger using the Horizontal Directional Drilling special technique, minimising environmental impact. We remain committed to driving Nigeria’s energy transition,” the company said.
Horizontal directional drilling is a trenchless method for installing underground utilities like pipes, conduits, or cables. It uses a surface-launched drilling rig to create a curved, underground path, minimising surface disruption. This technique is particularly useful for crossing obstacles like roads, rivers, or other infrastructure without open excavation.
The engineering milestone marked a major step forward in the execution of the AKK Gas Pipeline, aimed at enhancing domestic gas utilisation and boosting industrial growth in northern Nigeria.
The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline is a 40-inch by 614km linear pipeline system running from Ajaokuta in Kogi State to Kano with associated intermediate, terminal gas facilities and other related equipment to transport natural gas to off-takers at Abuja.
The ultimate goal is to promote cleaner energy, reduce reliance on diesel and firewood, and power industries across the North. The pipeline is a vital component of Nigeria’s effort to unlock its vast natural gas reserves, attract investments in the gas value chain, and foster energy security.
The River Niger crossing was previously considered one of the most technically challenging segments of the project. Last month, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the AKK project was over 70 per cent completed.
In June 2024, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the project would be completed in the first quarter of 2025, but that has yet to be as of June 2025.
He had said this during the visit of three cabinet ministers to the AKK project site, where they inspected the River Kaduna crossing milestone of the project in Kaduna.
The three ministers who visited the site last year were: the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun; the Minister of Information & National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo.
“Without promising too much, we assure you that this project will be delivered on schedule. Our mission is to work towards delivering it by December this year (2024). But we are confident this project will be delivered by the 1st Quarter of 2025,” Kyari informed the three visiting Ministers.
The former GCEO, who said the NNPC recognised the strategic importance and enormous value of the project to Nigeria’s economy, stressed that the company was bankrolling the project from its balance sheet.
