Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) yesterday said it was working to ensure the deployment of high integrity crude oil and gas pipeline infrastructure nationwide that would cost less to secure.
NNPC stated that it will invest heavily, along with its partners, in technology to upgrade the existing oil and gas transportation infrastructure as well as ensure that the network met modern trends in the sector.
Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the 2024 edition of the Nigeria International Pipeline Technology and Security Conference (NIPITECS), Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the upgrade will involve the use of fibre optic technology, geo-tagging/sensing technology, radio frequency, among others.
The event organised by Pipelines Professionals Association of Nigeria (PLAN) had the theme, “Pipelines: Critical Assets for National Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability.”
NNPC has over 5,120 kilometres of pipeline network nationwide, which is supposed to supply crude oil to the state-owned refineries and evacuate refined products for distribution across storage depots.
However, a huge portion of the pipelines have been subjected to vandalism and outright sabotage, as well as the effect of ageing. Some of the pipelines have lasted over six decades.
