WAGP will promote Regional Integration

…And will Ghana get away from the use of firewood?

By Fred SARPONG

Gas from the West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGP) should have started flowing some months ago but due to a problem at the Niger Delta distribution was halted. The distribution of the gas through WAGP line is to fuel power-stations and industries in four West African countries namely Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Gas deliveries were expected by the end of 2009 after the commissioning of the Takoradi and Tema regulating and metering stations in Ghana, compressor station at Lagos Beach in Nigeria, and regulating and metering stations in Cotonou in Benin and Lome in Togo.

The Gas Pipeline Project aims at improving the competitiveness of the energy sectors in Ghana, Benin and Togo by promoting the use of cheaper and environmentally cleaner gas from Nigeria.

The flow of gas through the WAGP will strengthening trade relations among these countries where one will surely depend on other for investment opportunity.
Again, it is likely that these countries will exchange experts in area of engineering, technicians to help each on the exploration of the gas for their national use.

The WAGP is a 678 kilometres (421 mi) long pipeline from the gas reserves in Nigeria’s Esravos region of Niger Delta area to Benin, Togo and Ghana. It is the first regional natural gas transmission system in sub-Saharan Africa.

The pipeline is operated by WAGPCo, owned by the consortium of Chevron (36.7%), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (25%), Royal Dutch Shell (18%), Volta River Authority of Ghana (16.3%), Societe Togolaise de Gaz (SoToGaz - 2%) and Societe Beninoise de Gaz S.A. (SoBeGaz - 2%).

The gas will be used by the Volta River Authority's 330 MW combined cycle thermal plant at Aboadze near Takoradi and also the Takoradi International Company's (TICO) thermal power plant, which is being upgraded to a 330 MW combined cycle plant.

WAGP is commercially viable and will service a population of 250 million among the nations involve. It is expected to provide energy self sufficiency for the whole region for nearly three decades with over 80.000 jobs expected to be created within the region.

The production of this gas to the four nations is to give for the fact generation of progressive and sustained industrialization is assure in these countries while thousands of hectares of forests in the region will be preserved.
It also intended to provide cheaper, reliable energy supply from the WAGP to promote investment for strategic variety of industries in the region.

WAGP project would significantly ease the energy situation in the nations involved especially Ghana and breathe a new lease of life into the energy difficulty facing the countries while providing a sustainable energy pattern for industries.

Apart from this gas from WAGP, Ghana will be expecting additional gas inflow from nation’s Jubilee Field were oil has been discover possible from 2010.

Using LPG gas will surely substitute the use of firewood and charcoal and for that matter our forest will be save from destruction. However, if the people are not well educated, they tend to rely more on the land which they till all year round to support their family and provide income.

The campaign for the use of LPG gas, which is common in the urban areas, should be intensifying and be extended to the rural areas so that the rural folks will not rely more on the forest and vegetation as a means of producing firewood for cooking purposes.
Before Ghana will start getting huge quantity of gas from these two areas, the government can, for instance, provide subsidy on gas cylinders and LPG gas for the rural areas, so that they reduce the use of firewood.

The district assemblies must also rigidly enforce their bye laws on bush burning. Information gathered indicate that in certain parts of Brong Ahafo and Northern regions, people take delight in setting fire to the bush during the dry season to enable them trap animals, especially grass cutters.

This practice has been going on for years, but nobody seems to bother about it, even though it is causing more harm than good to the environment. The destiny of this country is in our own hands; therefore, if we sit idle to be overtaken by events, we cannot turn round and blame God for our woes.