The Federal Government has awarded a 2.8 billion dollar contract for the construction of a new 380-kilometre gas gathering and processing pipeline network that will capture associated gas currently being flared at 23 oil production facilities across Bayelsa and Rivers states, ending routine flaring in 40 host communities by 2028.
Gas flaring -- the burning of natural gas extracted alongside crude oil -- has been a source of immense suffering for Niger Delta communities for decades, causing respiratory illness, acid rain damage to crops, constant noise pollution, and contributing to climate change through the release of methane and carbon dioxide.
Nigeria is one of the world largest gas flarers, and the Niger Delta bears the overwhelming majority of the health and environmental burden. Despite promises from every administration since the 1990s, flaring has continued largely unabated due to inadequate gas gathering infrastructure.
The contract was awarded to a joint venture between a Chinese construction company and the NNPC subsidiary, Nigerian Gas Company Ltd. Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026, with the full network operational by December 2028.
Environmental scientists say ending flaring in the targeted communities will dramatically improve air quality and reduce the incidence of respiratory illness, particularly in children under five who are most vulnerable to particulate pollution from flare stacks.
