The Ghana National Gas Company Limited, Ghana Gas has completed a 21-day planned shutdown of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant in the Atuabo in the Elembelle District of the Western Region for maintenance works.
According to the company, the maintenance works afforded them the opportunity to tie-in [interconnect] the ENI gas plant at Sanzule to the Ghana Gas Pipeline that transport processed gas for power generation at Aboadze in the Shama District.
Other works completed
A senior manager in-charge of Engineering and Maintenance at Ghana Gas, Maxwell Kwame Kally at a press briefing in Takoradi explained that Ghana Gas had to complete all the individual tie-ins on schedule and at no injury loss time, to avoid situations where the plant would have had to be shut down anytime.
According to Mr Kally, they had to cut into the pipeline from Atuabo to Aboadze in order to connect smaller pipes at an angle in order to make provision in readiness for the take-off of the fertilizer plant and take off by other industrial users in and around the enclave.
“We are also channelling the Iso-pentane we flare at our base under the regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency into the production of power. We had to change the existing Iso-pentane pipeline configuration to have a future valve connection such that when the company responsible [Marinus] for the conversion arrives in the country, they can connect their equipment to draw the Iso-pentane into power. We did complete this work in February,” he added.
Extra 3 days
Some factors, according to Mr Kally necessitated the request for additional days.
He explained that “the period was used to expand the Transport, Regulating and Metering Station [TRMS] at VRA at Aboadze. The work was an interface work between Ghana Gas and VRA. We were careful not to have any impact on VRA. These means were guided contractually and technically. That requires that at every step we had to inform VRA and the sector ministry of what was going on. Our procedures had to suit the VRA and the Tiles factories that were all off-takers of the TRMS. That had its associated time constraints”.
More gas, no dumsor
The completion works mean the quantity of gas supplied to the Aboadze Thermal Power Station and other consumers will shoot up because the ENI gas plant is ready to add over 170mmscf/day.
“This also means that we are in a better position to meet all our energy needs to curtail power outages completely. Dumsor will not be a problem for us”.
The public relations officer of Ghana Gas Owusu Bempah explained
A resilient plant in the end
The completion of all the works scheduled within the planned maintenance period according to Mr Kally means “that we in compliance and also able to increase our production. As we speak the plant is more reliable, resilient and in full operation”.
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citinewsroom.com/Ghana