Parts of the country are expected to experience interruptions in power supply for 14-days as the Ghana Gas Company Limited temporarily shuts down its Atuabo Gas Processing Plant for maintenance.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the exercise, started on Saturday, when completed, would ensure the reliability of the gas processing plant and transmission infrastructure in the country.
A statement issued by the Communications and Public Affairs Unit of the Ministry yesterday said the Electricity Company of Ghana is expected to release a schedule for the power supply interruptions.
“In order to manage the impact of the shutdown, the government is procuring additional gas from Nigeria, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), and Light Crude Oil (LCO), to complement available domestic gas for power generation,” it said.
The statement said in line with the ‘Dum siesie’ programme of ensuring reliable power supply through maintenance, the ministry was working actively with all stakeholders to mitigate the adverse effect of the exercise.
After four years of preparatory and construction work on the $1-billion onshore gas processing plant located at Atuabo near Takoradi in the Western Region, was unveiled in September 2015.
It process more than 180,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for domestic use, representing about 70 per cent of the national requirement of 240,000 tonnes.
From time to time, it is shut down for maintenance to improve its efficiency.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
