Some parts of Ghana and other West African countries are currently experiencing blackouts due to a lingering disruption in gas supply from Nigeria.
According to findings by our correspondent, there have been
blackouts in several cities in Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo, following the
development.
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited in Accra,
Ghana, had on Wednesday announced it was experiencing a drop in gas volumes
available for transportation.
In a statement, WAPCO said one of its gas producers in
Nigeria was carrying out some maintenance works. As a result, the gas producer
was said to have shut its facility for a three-week maintenance work.
This, it said, resulted in a decrease in gas available for
WAPCo to transport to customers in Togo, Benin and Ghana.
“The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited regrets to
announce that it is experiencing a drop in gas volumes available for
transportation due to ongoing maintenance works by one of its gas producers in
Nigeria.
“One of the producers of the natural gas WAPCo transports
from Nigeria has shut down its facility for a three-week maintenance, resulting
in a decrease of gas available for WAPCo to transport to customers in Togo,
Benin and Ghana. The current situation is entirely out of WAPCo’s control.
“WAPCo continues to transport gas from the Westen Region of
Ghana to Tema, also in Ghana, and we expect normalcy to return after the
maintenance activities,” the statement read.
Consequently, the affected countries are now currently
experiencing power challenges due to the development, according to findings.
Already, the Ghana Grid Company Limited and the Electricity
Company of Ghana have informed electricity consumers in the country that some
areas have been plunged into the darkness.
In a jointly signed statement, Ghana Grid Company Limited
and the Electricity Company of Ghana said they “wish to inform the public that
due to a reduction in gas supply from Nigeria since Wednesday 12th June 2024
some areas across the country have experienced interruption in power supply.”
The statement read further, “The West Africa Gas Pipeline
Company, in a statement, has explained that the reduction in gas supply was due
to maintenance works being undertaken by a gas supplier in Nigeria and is
projected to last three weeks.
“The maintenance has caused a reduction in overall power
generation capacity in Ghana which could result in load management over the
period of the work.”
While apologising to its customers, GRIDCo and ECG assured
the public that they were collaborating with other stakeholders in the power
value chain to optimise available resources to ensure minimal impact of the
reduction in gas supply on consumers.
“GRIDCo and ECG sincerely apologise for the inconvenience
caused,” the statement concluded.
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited owns and
operates the West African Gas Pipeline, a regional infrastructure linking
natural gas resources to customers within the West Africa sub-region especially
in Ghana.
The WAGP is a bi-directional pipeline system with gas supply
from both the east (Nigeria) and the west (Ghana) of the pipeline system.