At SPE/OLEF Forum, NNPC Says $2.8bn AKK Pipeline 72% Ready

•NUPRC reveals 10 additional PPLs activated, targets 4m bpd 

•PTDF highlights role of supply chain resilience in energy security 

•SPE advocates deployment of technology in oil, gas sector

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) yesterday revealed that the ongoing $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project, hit 72 per cent completion in Q1, 2025.

Speaking in Abuja at the 2025 edition of the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF), organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria and hosted by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, stated that the company currently has a team with the capacity to get things done.

The AKK project is a significant infrastructure initiative in Nigeria aimed at boosting the country’s energy sector and economic development, involving the construction of a 614-kilometer-long natural gas pipeline that stretches from Ajaokuta in Kogi State, through Abuja and Kaduna, to Kano in northern Nigeria.

The pipeline, with a diameter of 40 inches, is designed to transport natural gas from the southern gas-rich regions to the northern parts of the country, forming a key component of Nigeria’s broader gas infrastructure strategy, including the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP).

The project’s primary goals include enhancing Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity by supplying gas to power plants, revitalising industries, and reducing gas flaring—a major environmental concern.

Represented by the Executive Vice President, Upstream, Udobong Ntia, the boss of the national oil company, noted  that with substantial investments in energy infrastructure, NNPC was set to revamp the country’s energy sector.

With the event themed: “Driving Energy Sustainability Through Technology, Policy, and Supply Chain Excellence,” the new NNPC GCEO called on industry stakeholders to collectively rethink the current paradigms shaping the energy sector in order to improve them.

Stressing that over 600 million people in Africa still remain without access to electricity, a statistic that reflects both a development deficit and a glaring opportunity for energy inclusion, Ojulari stated that in Nigeria, oil and gas continue to represent over 85 per cent of export earnings and contribute significantly to government revenue.

Quoting the International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook, he stated that  global energy demand is projected to grow by over 25 per cent through 2040, driven largely by industrialisation in Asia and the fast-growing population in Africa.

“Our upstream subsidiary, the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited, is deploying real-time reservoir monitoring, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven subsurface imaging to drive value and operational resilience.

“In the past, this is what we knew the big International Oil Companies (IOCs) to be doing, but now we’re doing this at NEPL, and I’m very proud to be at the forefront of that. Furthermore, our digital transformation roadmap is anchored on three core pillars: Intelligent automation, data governance, and cyber resilience.

“This is not just about efficiency. It is about future-proofing our assets and ensuring we remain competitive in a low-carbon world. Let me be clear, energy sustainability is not possible without digital sustainability. No transformation can thrive without an enabling policy environment,” he added.

According to him, Nigeria’s passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021 remains a historic milestone, one that has repositioned NNPC as a fully commercial entity empowered to compete and deliver value like never before.

“In alignment with Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, which seeks to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, NNPC Limited has initiated several gas-led transition programmes, including the expansion of our autogas programme, targeting over 1 million vehicles, through 2026.

“Then the completion of critical backbone infrastructure such as the AKK pipeline, which is over 72 per cent complete as we speak (as of) first quarter 2025.  NNPC as an energy company plays a key role in the power sector, contributing about 1.5 gigawatts of installed power capacity to the country,” Ojulari pointed out.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission  (NUPRC), Mr Gbenga Komolafe, stated that about 10 of the Petroleum Prospecting Licenses (PPLs) recently awarded were already in operation.

Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Enorense Amadasu, he stated that to date the NUPRC has issued 24 priority regulations to the industry, with more in the works.

“As the Commission Chief Executive, I firmly believe that our regulatory framework is not just about industry oversight, but also about actively shaping a sustainable and prosperous energy landscape for Nigeria.

“Like I have always reiterated, we are not just a regulator, but we are business enablers. As we convey here and meet transformative opportunities, we must recognise the pivotal role that the energy sector plays in driving socio-economic development and prosperity, fostering sustainable growth and addressing pressing global challenges, including climate change and energy security.

“With our eyes on the ball, the commission is set to drive all stakeholders to attain the production increase targets for the benefit of the industry operators and shared prosperity. In pursuit of our goal to reach 4 million barrels of oil and 220 trillion cubic feet of gas, we have vigorously pursued strategies to enhance the productive activities and accelerate developments.

“As part of these efforts, the commission completed the 2024 bid licensing round with the award of 70 offshore Petroleum Prospecting Licenses PPLs and 70 additional onshore and offshore blocks.

“We are also preparing for the 2025 bid round as we implement the drill or drop philosophy in line again with the PIA. The new paradigm of regular and periodic licensing round as envisaged in PIA is our pathway for energy sustainability and a sustained investment drive for the upstream ppl awards.

“The commission is living up to its commitment to hand hold the PPL awardees to sources. I think about more than 10 of them are now in production. I think that’s a huge one for the country,” Komolafe stressed.

Former Petroleum Minister, Don Etiebet, in his intervention, pointed out that since his time, the industry has metamorphosed a lot, urging indigenous companies taking over from the IOCs to sort out  the problem of financing to be able to maintain the level of energy transition and ownership, to enhance local products consumption and for exports.

“So it is very, very important that we look at finance, how we are going to make sure that there’s enough finance available to keep the petroleum production, the crude oil, the gas, going in this regard.

“We also have to look at the succession plan of these new companies.  So in Nigeria, now that we have come in as indigenous participants, we should also know that we cannot do the business as usual thing, the Nigerian way of doing things.

“We must be able to ensure that the succession plan in these new companies are attuned to sustainability in future, then human capital development in the industry. It’s not going to be a matter of I must employ my relations, I must employ my ethnic group, I must employ people from my area. No,” he advised.

Earlier, the Chairman, SPE Nigeria, Amina Danmadami, noted that while the global energy conversation may lean heavily toward renewables, Nigeria must know that oil and gas will remain central to the country’s economic stability.

She highlighted  that since 1991, OLEF has stood as a symbol of dialogue, innovation, and policy engagement in Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape, stressing that it commemorates the first commercial discovery of oil in Nigeria in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State.

“The path to sustainability in our context is not one of displacement, but one of optimisation—leveraging technology to drive efficiency, tightening our supply chains, and creating enabling policies to enhance sector resilience.

“Technology—whether through digital oilfields, reservoir optimisation, AI-based predictive maintenance, or enhanced recovery techniques—continues to be a powerful enabler. With the right investments and strategic partnerships, these innovations can significantly improve productivity, reduce environmental impact, and enhance asset integrity,” Danmadami explained.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, PTDF, Ahmed Aminu,  said the organisation recognises the strategic value of the event as a platform for policy dialogue, stakeholder engagement, and forward-thinking discourse on energy development in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“As the agency mandated to build human and institutional capacity for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, we understand the critical interplay between robust policy, technological advancement, and supply chain resilience in achieving energy security,” Aminu, who was represented by the General Manager, Projects,  Ifeoma Nwokike, stated.