Abuja — Nigeria’s 614 km (384 mile) gas pipeline that is under construction will start operating during the first quarter of next year, which would help boost electricity supply, head of state oil firm NNPC Mele Kyari said on Thursday.
Construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline began in June 2020, with authorities promising it would help generate 3.6 gigawatts of power and support gas-based industries along the route when completed.
Speaking at a site the pipeline passes through in Abuja, Kyari said this was one of the major projects pursued by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has pushed for infrastructure development since coming into power in 2015.
“We will put gas on this line before the President leaves … by first quarter of 2023 we will put gas on this line. Power will be stabilized, industries will come up as a result of this project,” Kyari told reporters.
The AKK pipeline runs from Ajaokuta in central Nigeria to Kano, passing through Kaduna, all in the north of the country.
Nigeria is Africa’s top exporter of crude oil and holds some of the world’s largest known reserves of gas but has struggled to attract investment into the sector.
*Camillus Eboh; Editing: MacDonald Dzirutwe & David Holmes – Reuters
Follow us on twitter
