Avoiding fuel shortage: WAPCo delays pipeline cleaning

The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has announced a revised schedule for its planned offshore pipeline cleaning and inspection exercise, commonly known as "pigging”.

This follows a successful engagement with the government and its contractors to make room for restocking of light crude oil (LCO), Heavy Fuel OiI (HFO) and Distillate Fuel Oil (DFO), which are required to keep the generation plants firing.

Postponement

Even though the postponement of the pigging process would have come at a cost to stakeholders, the contractors have expressed their willingness to delay the exercise for two more weeks at no extra cost.

The pigging process was supposed to start last year but the previous government managed to get the transporter of gas, WAPCo, to change its October/November 2024 schedule to January/February 2025.

The new date of January 20, 2025, has to be rescheduled to February 3, 2025, to accommodate the interests of the key stakeholders.

The rescheduling is good news for the country’s energy sector which had come under pressure due to the unavailability of fuel. 

Cleaning, inspection exercise

A statement from WAPCo said the four-week exercise to start on February 3 would involve the temporary suspension of reverse gas flow from Ghana's Western Region to Tema and the shutdown of key facilities in Tema, Lomé, Togo and Cotonou, Benin.

It said during the shutdown period, WAPCo would replace subsea valves at strategic locations to enhance operational safety.

The company explained that a comprehensive cleaning and inspection exercise was a key regulatory requirement that aligned with industry best practices to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP).

The project encompasses the entire pipeline infrastructure from Itoki in Ogun State, Nigeria, to Takoradi in the Western Region.

The cleaning exercise is in two phases. The first phase, which was completed in December 2024, involved cleaning and inspecting the onshore section of the pipeline within Nigeria.

The second phase, scheduled to run from February 3 to March 2, this year, will focus on the offshore section of the WAGP, stretching from Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria, to Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana.

WAPCo is required to conduct these inspections every five years to maintain the integrity of the WAGP and ensure its continued safe and reliable operation across the West African sub-region.

Background

Last week, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, under the instruction of President John Mahama, met industry stakeholders to find a quick solution to the looming energy crisis.

The situation emerged less than 24 hours after the inauguration of President Mahama.

The crisis was due to the inadequate availability of fuel stock to fire generation plants, while WAPCo, which provides the bulk of lean gas services was due to shut down for maintenance from January 20, this year.

The government has been confronted with raising around $1.2 billion to secure fuel for its predominantly thermal power plants to keep the lights on when the planned maintenance kicks off.