VRA expects gas flow from West Africa Pipeline end November

The Volta River Authority (VRA) said on Thursday it now expected gas from the West African Gas Pipeline Company to start flowing by the end of November, bringing on stream 170 Mega watts of power from the Sunon Asogli plant.

Supplies of gas to the VRA ceased since August after the under-sea pipeline transporting the oil was ruptured, stalling operations at the Sunon Asogli plant which runs solely on gas.

Speaking to journalists on the energy situation in Accra, Mr Kweku Awotwi, VRA Chief Executive, said the damage on the pipeline had been fixed and the company was pumping out the sea water.

However, he said, the exercise had to be suspended because of two fatalities during the pipeline re-commissioning at the Takoradi Regulating and Metering Station and this would lead to a week’s delay.

Mr. Awotwi said the energy generation situation had improved over the last two months with Akosombo running at full allowed capacity while three out of the four units of Akuse were also running.

In addition, the four units of Aboadze Thermal Plant are running at full capacity while the steam turbine is producing 50 mega watts of power.

Mr Awotwi said total available capacity now is 1,601 Mega watts while peak demand in 1,705 mega watts, leading to a deficit of 104 mega watts.

He said the VRA was expecting two new projects the Takoradi three, which is running with 21 mega watts of power available to ramp up to 80 mega watts by the end of November while CENIT is expected to run by mid-November, once it could get crude oil.

Mr Awotwi said the full capacity of these two projects was expected to add a total of 240 mega watts by year end.

“It is expected that load shedding would end by December should all the additional generation come into service as scheduled,” he said, adding that the three power utilities would intensify coordination between heads of utilities, operational staff and communications staff.