WAGPO To Resume Gas Supply On April 30
From Alfred Adams, Takoradi
THE West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCO) has fixed April 30th this year as the tentative date for the resumption of gas supply from Nigeria barring any unforeseen hitches.
The WAGP has been working on its pipeline in Lome Togo which supplies gas to Ghana after a vessel damaged it somewhere last year.
According to WAGP, it has completed two stages of work and currently awaiting the final test to resume full operation of supplying gas to plants in Ghana. The first and second stages, which is termed as replacement and Joint testing of the pipeline for Integrity has been completed.
The final exercise is termed as ‘Drying the Line’ which would see WAGP use hot air to dry the pipeline for free flow of gas through it.
Addressing a news conference in Takoradi over the weekend, the General Manager of the WAGP In charge of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Harriet Wereko-Brobbey said her outfit had done what is technically known as ‘leak text’ on the two joint damaged pipeline at a different pressure level.
Divers, she said, had to swim 50 meters down the sea to do the pressure test. That apart, the divers went with a special equipment to take photograph of the leak text which she described as successful.
The next exercise, according to Mrs. Harriet Wereko-Brobbey, was for the WAGP to do what is technically known as ‘PIGING’. This is where it would launch special equipment together with the use of Nitrogen to flush out the water and other debris left in the damaged gas pipeline.
Touching on other areas, Mrs. Harriet Wereko-Brobbey told the media that the Ministry of Energy has now agreed to take it upon itself as a challenge of protecting the gas pipeline laid under water together with neighboring countries which benefits from the gas supply.
WAGP is also finalizing agreement with the Ghana Navy and the Togolese Navy in patrolling and protecting its gas pipeline in the two respective countries to avert further damage.
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