NNPC: projects and investment
In October 2019 NNPC announced a 2.5 billion dollar pre-payment agreement with Nigeria LNG to fund upstream gas development, which supports continued gas and LNG project activity.
Since its 1988 commercialisation the group has covered exploration and production, gas development, refining, distribution, petrochemicals, engineering and commercial investments through strategic business units. It manages joint ventures with international oil companies and has refining, pipeline, gas and petrochemical interests. Buyers searching for an explosion proof mobile phone supplier for NNPC can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An explosion proof mobile phone for NNPC cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | NNPC: Pipelines and storage, Gas processing, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Nigeria. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Suppliers and contractors register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), which is linked to NNPC tendering and vendor pre-qualification; local-content registration with the regulator and NCDMB is also required for work in the sector. Confirm current requirements with NNPC. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
In October 2019 NNPC announced a 2.5 billion dollar pre-payment agreement with Nigeria LNG to fund upstream gas development, which supports continued gas and LNG project activity.
Operations are managed through strategic business units spread across Nigeria, with zonal offices in the oil-producing south and the north, so a buyer should identify which unit and location actually controls the site.
NNPC delivered its first delivered-ex-ship LNG cargo to Futtsu in Japan in June 2024, showing an export chain that runs from Nigerian gas fields through liquefaction to ships.
NNPC was converted from a corporation into a limited liability company in July 2022 under the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, so it now runs as a commercial entity rather than a ministry-style body.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In NNPC. Around Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries and across upstream facilities, explosion-proof is a casual phrase for different concepts. Flameproof Ex d protects fixed motors and enclosures, while intrinsic safety suits portable devices. For rounds in refinery units, pipelines and storage areas, a handheld phone is judged on intrinsic safety, which the IS-04Z1 is designed around.
There is no stock to order for NNPC yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, certification is in progress, and supply will run through authorised distributors after the certificates are issued. Procurement teams can prepare now with the datasheet, the certification schedule and a safe-area evaluation.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
Suppliers and contractors register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), which is linked to NNPC tendering and vendor pre-qualification; local-content registration with the regulator and NCDMB is also required for work in the sector. Confirm current requirements with NNPC.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Often yes. NNPC manages joint ventures with international oil companies, and the operating partner usually applies its own HSE and contractor management system on site. Check who the operator is for the specific asset, and ask that operator for its approved equipment and certification requirements.
The Niger Delta and coastal areas are typically hot and humid with heavy rainfall, which stresses seals, screens and batteries. Look for strong ingress protection, tested operating temperatures and corrosion resistance, and ask the site what environmental limits its own instructions require.
Suppliers register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange, which is linked to NNPC tendering and vendor pre-qualification, and local-content registration with the regulator and NCDMB is also reported to be required. Check current rules with NNPC. SAMS has appointed no distributor, and the IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
More on NNPC, and on other places in Nigeria.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.