Nigeria's Decade-Long AKK Pipeline to Deliver Gas by July

Nigeria may begin the delivery of natural gas to Abuja through the years-long Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline by July later this year. 

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) stated this promise recently.

If realised, the development would mark a major shift in Nigeria’s efforts to utilise its vast gas reserves for sustainable economic development.

“We’re hoping that by July, gas will be delivered to Abuja through the AKK gas pipeline,” the agency stated in its inhouse magazine. 

The 614-kilometre pipeline is designed to transport more than 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day, a key component of the country’s strategy to deepen gas utilisation, supply power plants and industries in the northern region and reduce dependence on diesel oil. 

Nigeria holds Africa’s largest proven gas reserves, estimated at over 210 trillion cubic feet. But inadequate infrastructure has continued to limit full utilisation, making the AKK pipeline a critical test of the country’s gas-led development ambitions.

The $2.8 billion project, first initiated in 2008, has missed several completion deadlines, including targets set for 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2025.

Although construction began in 2020, progress was reportedly slowed by funding constraints and engineering challenges, particularly the crossing of the River Niger. That segment, considered the most technically demanding, involved drilling beneath the riverbed using horizontal directional drilling techniques.

Gas to be transported through the AKK pipeline will largely originate from southern producing areas, linked through the East-West Obiafu–Obrikom–Oben (OB3) gas pipeline, according to industry officials.