Ghana Gas resumes supply to VRA
The Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) Thursday resumed transmission of lean gas from its Atuabo gas processing plant to the Volta River Authority at Aboadze for power generation after shutdown for routine maintenance works.
The Gas Company last week Friday, January 15, shut down the Atuabo gas plant for projected 14 days maintenance works, however, the Company’s engineers and technicians assured Management that the facility would come on stream within seven days but they successfully completed the exercise within five days.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GNGC, Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, told a press conference at Atuabo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region on Thursday.
He announced that the maintenance works had been completed ahead of schedule and the plant would supply the required gas to the VRA by the close of the day.
He said the shutdown was mandatory based on manufacturer’s recommendations, which required the gas plant to be closed for maintenance works after 4,000 operational hours, as well as, adhering to the insurer’s warranty provision protocol.
Dr. Yankey revealed that the Company would continue supplying between 100 and 105 million Standard Cubic Feet of gas per day (MMSCF/pd) to the VRA for generation of 650 megawatts of power.
“We shut down the plant to do what was required as of the law; we have to expedite our work so that we can get gas to VRA to enable them to generate power to the country. So far they have done a great job within the past four to five days without any power outages, but this morning all of us in the country experienced some challenges and I believe that, that was also part of the transition from the use of fuel to gas but I believe that when we start to pump gas to Aboadze the problem that we had this morning will cease,” he said.
The CEO of Ghana Gas commended the team comprising engineers and technicians from Sinopec and Ghana Gas as well as a foreign expert that supervised the exercise and assured that, it would continue to adhere strictly to decent culture of maintenance to ensure efficient and effective operations of its machinery.
“The last time we shut the plant was in April last year for routine maintenance works since we started full operations in 2015 and after 4,000 hours, we decided to shut down again in compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions therefore the next shutdown is around June or July this year,” he noted.
Dr. Yankey said his outfit was in discussion with the gas supply chain operators, including the Tullow Ghana Limited and VRA to harmonize their routine maintenance works, so as to prevent frequent power interruption.
Mr. Robert Lartey, Director of Operations of the Ghana Gas, indicated that the team undertook the work meticulously and with precision, which involved overhauling of compressors, repairs and replacement of filters and tubes, as well as removal of rusty parts of the equipment and applied anti-corrosive agents.
He mentioned the five major maintenance activities undertook during the period as Overhead Compressor 8000hours Overhaul, Plant Corrosion Control, Glycol Regeneration Maintenance Works, Heat Medium Maintenance Activities and Six Inch Ball Valve Replacement on the Pig Receiver.
Source: GNA