WAPCO completes 70% of pipeline cleaning

The West Africa Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has stated that ongoing maintenance work on the gas pipelines will be completed on March 02, 2025, as 70 per cent of the work has since been completed.

The company that operates the 569-kilometre pipeline from Nigeria through Tema to Takoradi in Ghana temporarily shut down gas transmission on February 5, 2025, to enable it to undertake maintenance work, which includes cleaning and inspections of the line.

Mr Benoni Owusu Ayeh, the Operations and Maintenance Superintendent West, WAPCo, explained that the shutdown enables them to launch the Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) into the pipeline to clean and inspect it as required by regulations.

Mr Ayeh, an Engineer, revealed this during a press conference at WAPCo’s Regulating and Metering Station in Tema.

WAPCo is required by regulations to conduct pigging (the launching of the PIG) every five years to maintain the integrity of the pipeline.

Mr Ayeh indicated that so far three pigs have been successfully launched from Tema to Takoradi with the fourth one on its way and expected to be received in the early hours of Saturday.

He further explained that after receiving the fourth one, the final PIG, which was referred to as the intelligent PIG, would be launched to complete the process.

The intelligent PIG helps to collect data on the interior of the pipeline.

Dr Isaac Adjei Doku, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, debunked some media reports that Ghana was not receiving gas from Nigeria due to the maintenance, explaining that some gas was coming through as the pigging needs gas to travel through the pipeline.

Dr Doku added that the gas being used for the pigging was being delivered at Takoradi and used for power generation by the Volta River Authority (VRA).

He further said the maintenance period was also being used for the replacement of two subsea valves passing at Tema and Cotonou, revealing that the replacement vessel got into position on Monday, 18 kilometers in the sea from the Tema Regulating and Metering Station.

He added that on Wednesday, lateral depressurisation was done, and the valve replacement commenced and is ongoing.

Ms Michelle Burkett, the Managing Director of WAPCo, appealed to the media to help inform the population about the importance of the maintenance works to ensure the integrity of the pipeline to serve the countries for a long time.

Ms Burkett added that they would continue to build the relationship with the media and intensify such engagements for proper dissemination of information on such maintenance works.

Source: GNA

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