The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) on Tuesday deepened Nigeria’s gas-based industrialisation drive, signing six strategic agreements, including a 20-year gas supply deal for the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and network entry agreements expected to inject up to 800 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d) into the domestic gas transportation network.

The NNPC Ltd/Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited Joint Venture, also signed a 15-year Wet Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with UTM FLNG Ltd under which the joint venture will supply 200MMscf/d of gas to the floating LNG project. The long-term arrangement is expected to provide feedgas certainty required to secure financing and position the project for a Final Investment Decision (FID) in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The agreements, signed on the sidelines of the 25th NOG Energy Week in Abuja, cover a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) with Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL), a Gas Sale Agreement with UTM FLNG, as well as Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bayo Bashir Ojulari, said the agreements go beyond commercial transactions and are central to the Federal Government’s industrialisation agenda.

“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 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.

Ojulari said the agreements establish a transparent and standardised framework for nationwide gas utilisation that would unlock additional domestic gas supply and strengthen energy security.

He added that they also signal a new era of strategic partnerships that will promote local content, enhance energy security and accelerate Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a global industrial powerhouse.

“We are on a journey, even as we look forward to greater collaboration with industry partners,” he added.

A major highlight was the partnership with ASCL, where both parties agreed to extend collaboration beyond gas supply to support the production of steel pipes required for critical gas infrastructure projects, including the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) 3. The MoU is anchored on revitalising the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and expanding domestic gas utilisation through the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code.

The parties also executed a 20-year Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement involving NNPC E&P Limited (NEPL), the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria Ltd/Gte (GACN) and ASCL for the supply of 3MMscf/d of firm contract volumes and 47MMscf/d of interruptible contract volumes to power the steel complex.

NNPC Ltd also completed the migration of legacy interconnection agreements to the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code through Network Entry Agreements with Chevron Nigeria Limited, AGPC and NEPL.

The agreements are expected to inject up to 800MMscf/d of natural gas into the domestic transportation network, supplying power plants, gas-based industries and industrial clusters while improving network connectivity, operational flexibility and security of gas supply.