Ghana may face heightened power rationing as the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) prepares to begin the planned cleaning and inspection of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) on November 25, 2024. The maintenance exercise, known as “pigging,” will clean and inspect the pipeline’s integrity, impacting gas flows from Takoradi to Tema and other supply points.
Pigging ensures the safety and longevity of WAPCo’s critical offshore pipeline, which transports natural gas to Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. During this period, gas supplies to facilities in Tema, Lomé, and Cotonou will be disrupted. The process involves cleaning the pipeline, gathering data, and identifying necessary maintenance measures.
The pig, a device used for cleaning and inspecting pipelines, will be launched from WAPCo’s Lagos Beach Compressor Station in Badagry, Nigeria, and received at the Takoradi Regulating & Metering Station in Ghana. Effluents from the pigging process will be safely managed in Takoradi in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
WAPCo is actively engaging stakeholders and has implemented a two-way communication system to keep them informed throughout the process. The company has worked closely with the Ministry of Energy to plan the exercise and minimize the potential impact on power supply.
While no gas will be supplied from Nigeria during the pigging, WAPCo, together with the Ministry of Energy, GNPC, and Eni Ghana, is expanding gas delivery capabilities in Tema to mitigate supply challenges.
This regulatory and operational requirement, coordinated with stakeholders across the four West African nations involved, is critical for maintaining the pipeline’s functionality and safety.
