The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has signed six strategic agreements with key industry partners aimed at expanding domestic gas utilisation, strengthening energy security and accelerating Nigeria’s industrialisation drive.
The agreements were executed on the sidelines of the 25th NOG Energy Week in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh.
NNPC said the deals, which include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), gas supply agreements and gas transportation arrangements, represent a major step towards deepening gas infrastructure and supporting economic growth.
Among the agreements is an MoU with the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL), under which both organisations agreed to broaden their collaboration beyond gas supply to support steel production for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
According to NNPC, the partnership is expected to facilitate the production of steel pipes required for major infrastructure projects, including the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) Phase 3.
The company also signed a 20-year Gas Sale Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) involving NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) and ASCL.
Under the arrangement, ASCL will receive three million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d) as firm contract volumes and an additional 47MMscf/d as interruptible supply to power the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
In another major development, the NNPC/Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU) Joint Venture entered into a 15-year Wet Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with UTM Floating LNG Limited.
The agreement provides for the supply of 200MMscf/d of gas to the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project, providing long-term feed gas required to support financing and pave the way for a Final Investment Decision expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The national oil company also announced the successful migration of legacy gas interconnection agreements to the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code through the execution of Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, ANOH Gas Processing Company (AGPC) and NNPC Exploration and Production Limited.
According to the company, the agreements will inject up to 800MMscf/d of natural gas into the domestic gas transportation network to serve power plants, gas-based industries and industrial clusters across the country.
NNPC said the move would improve gas supply reliability, strengthen network connectivity and enhance operational flexibility within the domestic gas market.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulari, said the agreements align with the Federal Government’s gas-based industrialisation agenda and reaffirm the company’s commitment to expanding domestic gas utilisation.
“What we are witnessing today is not just about signing agreements. It is about igniting the engine of Nigeria’s industrialisation,” Ojulari said.
“Gas is the key. It is a source of revenue and profit. It is also the only product that can have that level of industrial impact on Nigeria, more than any other hydrocarbon.”
He said the agreements demonstrate NNPC’s commitment to transparency, efficiency and the establishment of a standardised framework for gas utilisation across the country.
Ojulari added that the partnerships would promote local content development, strengthen national energy security and support long-term economic transformation, describing NNPC as the partner of choice for Nigeria’s gas sector.
The latest agreements come a day after the NNPC boss disclosed that the company had secured gas deals valued at about $20 billion over the past year.