The Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC Ltd, has signed six strategic agreements with key industry partners aimed at deepening gas utilisation, accelerating industrialisation and strengthening Nigeria’s energy security.
The agreements, executed on the sidelines of the 25th 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; a Gas Sale Agreement, GSA, with UTM FLNG; and three Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NNPC Exploration and Production Limited, NEPL.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Andy Odeh, the agreements represent a major milestone in the company’s drive to advance the Federal Government’s gas-based industrialisation agenda, stimulate sustainable economic growth and enhance Nigeria’s energy security.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, described the agreements as more than routine commercial transactions, saying they would serve as catalysts for Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
“What we are witnessing today is not just about signing agreements. It is about igniting the engine of Nigeria’s industrialisation. Gas is the key. It is a source of revenue and profit, but more importantly, it has the greatest potential to drive industrial development in Nigeria beyond any other hydrocarbon,” he said.
Ojulari said the agreements reflect NNPC Ltd’s commitment to transparency, operational efficiency and the development of a standardised framework for nationwide gas utilisation, adding that they would unlock additional supply capacity for the domestic market while reinforcing the role of natural gas as a driver of economic transformation.
He noted that the partnerships would promote local content development, improve energy security and accelerate Nigeria’s emergence as a globally competitive industrial economy.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the agreement with Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited.
Under the MoU, both organisations agreed to extend their collaboration beyond gas supply to support the production of raw materials for oil and gas pipelines, a move expected to strengthen strategic infrastructure projects such as the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline, AAGP, and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System, ELPS 3.
The agreement is anchored on the revitalisation of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and the expansion of domestic gas utilisation through the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code.
The parties also executed a 20-year Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement involving NNPC Exploration and Production Limited, NEPL, the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria, GACN, and ASCL for the supply of three million standard cubic feet per day of firm gas volumes and 47 million standard cubic feet per day of interruptible gas volumes to power the steel complex.
In another major development, the NNPC Ltd/Seplat Joint Venture signed a 15-year Wet Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with UTM FLNG Ltd to commercialise Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources.
The agreement provides for the supply of 200 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the UTM Floating LNG project, providing the long-term feed gas required to support financing and facilitate a Final Investment Decision expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
NNPC Ltd also announced the successful migration of legacy interconnection agreements to the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code through the execution of Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NEPL.
The agreements are expected to inject up to 800 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day into the domestic gas transportation network, strengthening supply to power plants, gas-based industries and industrial clusters while improving network flexibility and energy security.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Gas, Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Oil, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms. Olu Verheijen; the Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan; and the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engr. Rabiu Umar.
The agreements were signed during the milestone 25th NOG Energy Week, themed “Advancing Energy Ambitions for Competitive and Resilient Economies,” which focused on the role of strategic partnerships in advancing Nigeria’s energy and industrial development.
