The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has signed six strategic agreements with major industry partners aimed at expanding gas utilisation, strengthening energy security and advancing Nigeria’s gas-driven industrialisation agenda.
The agreements, executed on the sidelines of the 25th Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja on Tuesday, include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) with Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL).
Also signed were a Gas Sale Agreement (GSA) with UTM Floating LNG (FLNG) Limited and three Network Entry Agreements (NEnAs) with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL).
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Ojulari, described the agreements as a significant milestone in implementing the Federal Government’s gas-based industrialisation policy.
According to him, the partnerships will unlock additional domestic gas supply, reinforce the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code and position natural gas as a key driver of economic growth.
“What we are witnessing today is not just about signing agreements. It is about igniting the engine of Nigeria’s industrialisation.
“Gas is not only a source of revenue and profit, but also the hydrocarbon with the greatest potential to transform Nigeria’s economy,” Ojulari said.
He added that the agreements underscore NNPC Ltd.’s commitment to transparency, operational excellence and strategic collaboration, while promoting local content, improving energy security and attracting investments across the nation’s gas value chain.
A major highlight of the event was the partnership with ASCL, which is expected to support the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and expand domestic gas utilisation.
Under the MoU, both organisations will also work together to encourage local production of steel pipes required for strategic infrastructure projects, including the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) and the third phase of the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS).
The accompanying 20-year GSAA, signed by NEPL, the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) and ASCL, provides for the supply of three million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d), alongside 47 MMscf/d of interruptible gas, to power the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
NNPC Ltd. and its Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU) Joint Venture also entered into a 15-year Wet Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with UTM FLNG Ltd.
The agreement commits the joint venture to supplying 200 MMscf/d of gas to the UTM FLNG project, providing the feed gas required to support project financing and facilitate a Final Investment Decision (FID) expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
In addition, NNPC Ltd. signed Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NEPL to migrate existing interconnection arrangements to the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code.
The agreements are expected to inject up to 800 MMscf/d of natural gas into the domestic gas transportation network, improving supplies to power plants, gas-based industries and industrial clusters while enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the national gas network.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri; and the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen.
Also in attendance were the Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, and the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
