NNPCL: We’ve spent $1.1bn on AKK gas pipeline

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says it has so far spent over $1.1 billion on the ongoing construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Station project from its cash flow.

The NNPCL GCEO, Mele Kyari, said this while touring some of its project sites in Kogi State with newsmen and other stakeholders on Monday, April 24.

Kyari was accompanied by some top officials of the NNPCL and Oilserv Limited, (Pipelines and Facilities), the contractor of the project.

The NNPCL boss said the company would continue to fund the AKK gas pipeline project which it was delivering in phases and has been active even though it did not have third-party finance for the project.

He said: “So far, NNPC Ltd has funded over 1.1billion dollars on the project and to date none of the project activities is abandoned as reported and we reassure all stakeholders that we have a line of sight to project delivery on schedule.

“NNPC Limited remains highly committed towards the delivery of strategic National infrastructure projects through responsive project delivery, active collaboration with government security agencies and communities as well as deployment of technology for delivering the project.

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“This is is one of the most massive projects of proportion value to our country for economic growth. It is a must-deliver project and we have continued to fund it in spite of not having third-party finance support, we will deliver this project.

“We do not owe a dollar to our contractors, there are over 30 sites that are active today in this project, we are very hopeful and optimistic to deliver this project.”

Kyari further decried that due to insecurity, the NNPCL had lost some site workers, expressing sadness over their demise and consoled their families whom he said the company shared in their grief.

He said 70 per cent of the welding work had been completed, adding that once welding was completed, it could actually flow gas through the pipeline.

The NNPCL boss said on completion, the AKK gas pipeline would deliver two billion cubic feet of gas, powering industries, powering power plants, and creating gas-based industries.

He said the entire welding work would be completed by the third quarter of 2023 then it would actually energise the pipeline.

Kyari further stated that the AKK gas pipeline was projected to support power plants with a total of 3,645 Mega Watts, adding that it would soon begin construction of Abuja-Kaduna power plants in earnest.

On his part, the Project Manager, Oilserv Limited, Steve Nnorom, said there were three schematic of the AKK gas pipeline and station installations which included Brovo, Chalie, and Alpha spread segment that showed progress of the project.

Nnorom said they were currently doing full auto welding, completed 73 per cent of its mainland welding works, and had done 222 kilometres remaining 27 kilometres of welding work to complete.

“We are crossing rivers, railway, and existing pipelines. We have other sites where various work activities are ongoing, our target is that concurrently all works will be going on at different spread,” he added.

Nnorom, while noting that the project has been active and fully financed, said it has purely 100 per cent Nigerian workers.

The Star