Ghana: Ghana Gas gets more gas

The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) Reverse Flow Project at Aboadze in the Western Region is almost complete. The project is aimed at transporting dense gas from the Aboadze power area to the gas-powered plants in the Eastern enclave anytime the supply from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) is interrupted.

The Ghana National Gas Company has, therefore, initiated a test run of the pipeline system installed to transport gas from the Western Region to the Eastern enclave to fuel electricity plants in the area.

Initially, gas from the oil and gas fields offshore Cape Three Points in the Western Region was not available for use by thermal plants sited in Tema. There was, therefore, the need for the construction of a reverse gas pipeline between Aboadze and Tema.

Engineers had since May 16 this year been testing the safety and efficiency of the system with a flow of 37 million standard cubic feet of gas daily.

Ernest Owusu Bempah, head of communications at Ghana Gas, noted that with the completion of the project, the company would be able to supply gas anytime it was called on to supply gas.

He explained that the testing and commissioning of the gas pipelines were being done to check for leakages and durability of the pipelines that have been tied to the WAPCO pipelines.

“What we are currently supplying is not for consumption. WAPCO is using the 37 million standard cubic feet of gas to pressurize their station. It will take some days before they will be able to stabilize their station. Once that is done, then they will move to the offshore pipelines,” he explained.

He stressed that Ghana Gas would do its best to always transport dense gas to Tema anytime it was called on to ensure there was no interruption in power supply. Bempah disclosed that the capacity of the Takoradi Regulating and Metering Station had also been expanded from the original 130 to 405 million standard cubic feet of gas a day to support the reverse flow project.