Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
In line with plans to expand gas usage and reach, the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has announced that it would resume its supply of natural gas from Nigeria to neighbouring Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Friday during the announcement of the successful completion of the cleaning and inspection of its 20 feet offshore pipeline from Badagry in Nigeria to Takoradi in Ghana.
WAPCo is the operator of the West African Gas Pipeline, which was built to supply natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana.
“The internal inspection of the 569 km offshore pipeline was completed on Sunday, February 23, 2020, almost one month ahead of the scheduled completion date of March 20, 2020,” it said in the statement.
The statement further said a significant amount of data was successfully gathered during the inspection and would be analysed over the next couple of months to further provide critical insights and assurance of the overall integrity of the pipeline to support WAPCo’s continuous optimal operations.
It said, “Following the successful cleaning and inspection of the offshore pipeline, WAPCo is resuming the transportation of gas to its customers in Benin, Togo and Ghana.
“In Ghana, WAPCo is currently transporting natural gas to its Takoradi Regulating and Metering Station only. Gas transportation to its Tema Regulating and Metering Station will commence after the completion of ongoing expansion works under the Takoradi to Tema Interconnection Project expected to be operational in March 2020.”
WAPCo further said it was grateful to its stakeholders for the show of support during the cleaning and inspection exercise that allowed it to safely and efficiently execute the work plan ahead of schedule.
“With the completion of the pipeline cleaning and inspection exercise, WAPCo is better positioned to offer reliable and improved service to its customers in Ghana, Togo and Benin in their effort to provide a greater access to affordable and reliable power for economic growth,” it said.
According to the statement, the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy, Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Benin Ministry of Energy Water and Mines, Togolese Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Volta River Authority, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Chevron Nigeria Limited, among others, played significant roles in ensuring the success of the exercise.
