WAPCo unsure when gas supply from Nigeria will be restored

The West African Gas Company ( WAPCo) has expressed uncertainty over the restoration of gas supply from Nigeria to Ghana.

Nigeria stopped the supply of gas to Ghana on Tuesday as a result of labour unrests among workers of major oil firms located in the Ogun State of Itoki.

Usually when gas supply is halted in Nigeria, it takes two days for the residue carried in Ghana's pipelines to be completely exhausted, TV3 was told.

But it appears there is no end in sight to the agitations in Nigeria as the residue has run out.

Speaking on TV3’s Midday Live on Wednesday, September 17, Harriet Wereko-Brobbey, the Head of Corporate Affairs for the West African Gas Company, said the situation is looking bleak for Ghana as “we don’t know yet when it is going to end.”

“What we are hoping is that it will be resolved soon.”

The situation will render the Asogli Power Plant – which provides 180 megawatts of power – unoperational as it depends mostly on gas.

There will be excess pressure on generating plants that do not use gas as fuel.

Unfortunately, most of these plants are undergoing maintenance works.

“What we have to do is to make sure there is loadshedding,” advised Samuel Kwesi Fletcher, the Head of Communications at the Volta River Authority (VRA).

Mr Fletcher also called on authorities at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to impress upon their Nigerian counterparts to restore the supply of gas to Ghana.