ATUABO GAS PLANT TO BE READY BY END OF JANUARY

The Ghana Gas Company (GGC) says it expects to
complete the process of commissioning the
Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) by the end of
January this year.
That would enable the company to increase its
offtake of raw gas from the Jubilee Field’s FPSO
Kwame Nkrumah to supply the Volta River
Authority (VRA) with lean gas at the optimal 120
million standard cubic feet per day
(120MMSCFD).
A statement signed by the Board Chairman of
the company, Dr Kwesi Botchwey, said the
commissioning would clear the way for work to
begin on phase two of the project.
Specific works under phase two include
additional equipment to increase by-product
production, the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL)
export infrastructure as well as the onshore
pipeline extension from Esiama to the Prestea-
Tarkwa mining enclave.
“Since raw gas was introduced into the GPP,
operational activities on the offshore pipeline
component, including the regulating and
metering stations at Esiama and Aboadze, have
been smooth,” the statement said.
However, some few challenges relating to
equipment reared their heads at the GPP.
The items, generally referred to as punch list
items, it said, were the components that
experienced less than optimal performance and
were specifically identified during the
commissioning process.
The GCC?statement said corrective works put in
place were on course.
“We are pleased to note that after a series of
intermittent interruptions from the FPSO
(spanning a few minutes to as long as 15 hours)
we have since Monday, January 5, 2015, not
experienced any compressor trips from the FPSO.
Our engineers have met with Tullow’s engineers
to explore ways of averting unwarranted
occurrences and we are pleased with the
outcome of discussions and resultant actions,”
the statement said.
It indicated that a significant amount of
progress had been made to complete the
remedial works and corrective fine-tuning of
key punch list items prior to formal handover of
the project by the contractors, Messrs Sinopec,
to Ghana Gas.
The statement also touched on the current
satisfactory operational works being carried out
by the GPP to supply the VRA with lean gas for
power production, and added that GPP was also
producing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as well
as other condensates for the downstream
market.
Currently, it said, Aboadze was relying solely on
gas from Atuabo to power the various plants in
the enclave.
For now, what GPP was waiting for was VRA’s
completion of the necessary works at its
Aboadze Thermal Plant Complex to enable it to
increase its generating capacity.
Based on the success story so far, the GGC
Board thanked its stakeholders and company
staff for working diligently to ensure that the
commissioning process proceeded smoothly.