Nigeria is reported to begin delivering naturasl gas to the capital, Abuja, by July through its long-delayed Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano,g2i (AKK) gasto wh ​pipeline, the upstream oil regulator said, marking a key milestone ‌for the country's gas development plans.

"We're hoping that by July, gas will be delivered to Abuja through the AKK gas pipeline," a spokesperson for the ​Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission told the regulator's in-house magazine.

The ​614-kilometre (382-mile) pipeline is designed to deliver more than 2.2 billion ⁠cubic feet of gas per day and is a core ​part of Nigeria's strategy to shift its energy mix towards gas, supply ​power plants and industries in the north, and reduce reliance on diesel and fuel oil.

Nigeria holds Africa's largest gas reserves, estimated at over 210 trillion cubic ​feet, but much of the country's gas infrastructure remains underdeveloped, ​making the AKK pipeline a critical test of its gas-led growth ambitions.

The $2.8 billion project, ‌first ⁠conceived in 2008, has missed several delivery targets, including earlier deadlines of 2023 and the final quarter of 2025.

Construction began in 2020 but was slowed by funding pressures and engineering challenges, most notably the ​crossing of the ​River Niger. That ⁠section, widely regarded as the project's most technically demanding, required drilling beneath the riverbed using horizontal directional ​drilling, often compared to a scaled-down version of ​the Eurotunnel.

An ⁠energy lawyer involved in the project told Reuters that work was now at an advanced stage, with the pipeline more than 90% complete.

Gas ⁠transported ​through the AKK pipeline will be sourced ​from Nigeria's southern producing areas largely through its interconnection with the East-West Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas ​pipeline, according to industry officials.

Credit: Isaac Anyaogu; Mark Potter (Reuters)