Arrangements finalized on Natural Gas Processing Plant

Accra, Dec. 18, GNA - The government has finalized arrangements to establish a Natural Gas Processing plant on-shore Atuabo in the Western Region to process the gas that will be produced in association with the crude oil from the Jubilee Oil and Gas Field.

A release signed by Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President and Presidential Spokesman, said the first phase will entail a 150 million cubic feet gas processing plant to be located at Atuabo, a coastal town in the Western Region.

It said the gas processing plant and the related pipeline infrastructure is estimated at 775 million US dollars. The release said the natural gas will be processed into dry gas at the Atuabo plant for power generation at Effasu in the Western Region and will also be processed into Liquefied Petroleum Gas for domestic consumption and propane and condensates for export. It said the establishment of the plant will be a significant landmark in Ghana's industrialization drive, which will lay the foundation for development of a petro-chemical industry in Ghana. It stated that downstream processing facilities would be set up to produce ethanol, methanol and propane for export, fertilizers for domestic agricultural uses and granules which is the main ingredient for the plastic industry.

The gas project would enable optimum use of the oil and gas resources of the Jubilee Field both onshore and offshore and will open up the coastal areas of the Western Region for businesses and create employment for the people.

It said a track of land measuring eight square kilometres was being acquired for the project and would be developed into petro-chemical industrial park to house the gas processing plant and the ancillary industries.