Establishment of 2nd gas processing plant: Committees set up to oversee project

The government is to establish a second Gas Processing Plant (GPP II) in the country. 

In line with that, two committees tasked to work towards the realisation of the project have been established.

They are the Steering Committee which has strategic oversight in respect to the entire project and a Technical Committee which would be in charge of the day-to-day activities.

The Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, and the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

Other members are the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, and the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George.

The rest are the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gas, Judith Adjobah Blay; the CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Edward Bawa, and the Minister of Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.

The Technical Committee is chaired by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah.

Other members are Guure Brown Guure, Project Development Coordinator; Dr Yussif Suleman, Advisor, and Sam Arthur.

The rest are Robert Lartey, James Demetrus, Wisdom Dogbey, Horace Hato, Theo Acheampong, Efua Payida, Dr Simon Akorli, Leonard Akuffo-Kwapong, Hamis Ussif, James Yamoah and Laila Duwiejua.

A Communication and Social Licence Working Group is chaired by the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim.

The other members are Raymond Acquah, Sylvester Duncan, Moses Koblah Dotsey Aklorbortu and Eric Agyei Gyan.

The technical committee has four weeks to present its report to the steering committee and later to Cabinet for approval.

Mr Jinapor, who inaugurated the committees, said Cabinet took a decision because since the establishment and commissioning of the first gas processing plant at Atuabo, there had not been much investment in the gas sector, neither had "we increased the pipeline from Ghana gas’s perspective".

"Indeed, today I had a meeting with the Minister of Finance, and it turned out that the liquid fuel requirement alone for this year for our thermal plants exceeds $1 billion; that is not sustainable.

“It is in the light of this that the government is making a bold decision to construct our own second gas processing plant that can give us savings of close to $500 million every year,” he said.

The minister said in two years, the savings from using gas as an alternative to liquid fuels could repay the investment.

“Aside from that, the gas processing plant is estimated to generate about 1,500 direct and indirect jobs,” Mr Jinapor added.

For his part, Dr Forson said the Atuabo gas plant had been of immense benefit to the country.

He, however, expressed concern that the country requires at least $1.1 billion annually to buy light crude oils, heavy fuel oils and diesel fuels to be able to power its thermal plants.

“So the problem that we see is far bigger than the country can accommodate.

This simply means that we have to fast-track this gas processing plant.

“We need to have a second gas processing plant as soon as possible, and I believe that the technical committee would be able to finish its work on time.

“It is so important for our country, it is so important for our welfare, and it is so important for the economy to run,” the minister said.