Several regions in Ghana and other West African countries are currently experiencing blackouts due to a prolonged disruption in gas supply from Nigeria.
Investigations by our correspondent reveal that cities in Ghana, the Republic of Benin, and Togo have been affected by these power outages. The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo), based in Accra, Ghana, announced on Wednesday that it is facing a significant drop in gas volumes available for transportation.
In a statement, WAPCo attributed the issue to maintenance work being carried out by one of its gas producers in Nigeria. The producer has reportedly shut down its facility for a three-week maintenance period, resulting in a decreased supply of gas available for WAPCo to transport to its 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,” the statement read.
WAPCo noted that it continues to transport gas from the Western Region of Ghana to Tema and expects normal operations to resume following the completion of the maintenance activities.
As a result of the reduced gas supply, affected countries are currently experiencing power challenges. The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have already informed electricity consumers about the power interruptions. In a joint statement, GRIDCo and ECG stated, “We wish to inform the public that due to a reduction in gas supply from Nigeria since Wednesday, June 12, 2024, some areas across the country have experienced interruptions in power supply.”
The statement elaborated, “The West Africa Gas Pipeline Company 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.”
GRIDCo and ECG apologized to customers for the inconvenience and assured the public that they are working with other stakeholders in the power value chain to optimize available resources and minimize the impact of the gas supply reduction on consumers. “GRIDCo and ECG sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused,” the statement concluded.
WAPCo owns and operates the West African Gas Pipeline, a crucial regional infrastructure that links natural gas resources to customers within the West Africa sub-region, particularly in Ghana. The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is a bi-directional system, with gas supplies originating from both the east (Nigeria) and the west (Ghana) of the pipeline network.