Gas holds key to our energy needs

There was great excitement when it was announced in 2007 that Ghana had discovered oil in commercial quantities.

The celebrations became more widespread when it was said the oil resources also contained gas that could be exploited for domestic and commercial use.

The good news also centred on the fact that the government and the Jubilee partners had been able to fast-track the processes for the production of oil and gas.

The processes for the early pour of commercial oil brought about other challenges, such as the lack of gas infrastructure.

Besides the high expectation to become part of the club of oil-producing countries, there was also public expectation of the benefits from oil and gas, especially when oil and gas have changed the fortunes of people in some oil-producing countries.

Managing this expectation has not been easy thus far, since, besides the expectation of huge revenues from oil, the people expect that the discovery of black gold will lead to the creation of jobs, wealth and prosperity.

In the meantime, friends of Ghana have warned us to be wary of the land mines that some of the oil-producing countries fall into, with the caution that we should try as much as possible to prevent the oil from becoming a curse rather than a blessing.

So far, we cannot say that the journey has not been without challenges. Some citizens have raised concerns over the decision to remove subsidies from petroleum products when we are producing the product locally.

If there is any outcome of the oil and gas project that the people look up to with high expectations, then it is the construction of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant.

This is so because we have had occasion in this country to form long queues for non-existent liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for use in our homes, factories and by motorists who are running away from the high cost of petrol.

More exciting will be the day when gas from the plant will be fed into the national grid to generate more electricity for the country.

Our expectations are that the present challenges with the generation of electricity will be resolved if the gas is fed onto the national grid.

The erratic power supply situation has been attributed to the low generation of power to feed the national grid.

But the Daily Graphic thinks there is one concern of the people that the government should address to avoid the situation where the people lose faith in the project.

The inauguration date of the Atuabo Plant has been postponed on previous occasions. Now we are being told that the project will start full operations in July this year.

We appeal to the authorities to keep faith with the people by supplying the gas to them as soon as possible.

We can no longer afford the luxury of postponement of the date for the full operation of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant. The people need the gas now for domestic use, for the generation of electricity and, more importantly, to stimulate the economy.