Temporary halt of gas supply from FPSO due to fault

The FPSO Kwame Nkrumah, the offshore production platform moored at the Jubilee Fields, has cut the supply of gas to the onshore gas processing plant, owing to a leakage detected in one of its components.

Information made available to the Daily Graphic indicated that the operators of the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) plant received information about the need to shut down for safety reasons to enable engineers on the FPSO to rectify the anomaly.

A check at Ghana Gas and the Volta River Authority (VRA) indicated that the defect had been communicated to them, and the plants at the Aboadze thermal enclave would be switched to light crude oil after they had used the available gas in the pipelines from Atuabo.

A source at VRA explained that though there was enough crude to feed the plants at Aboadze, the 250 megawatts AMERI plant, which was commissioned solely on gas, would have to wait for gas supply to resume.

When the Daily Graphic contacted officials of Ghana Gas, VRA and the lead operator of the Jubilee Fields, they assured that solving the problem of the leakage would take some hours, and that they would resume supply to Atuabo after the repairs had been done.

'We know we are dealing with machines and anything could happen. We are sure to resume supply by close of Monday ,' a source told the Daily Graphic.

It, however, explained that oil production was not affected. 'We can assure you that the problem has absolutely to do with oil and the temporary halt was ostensibly due to our strict adherence to safety.' 

The Communications Manager of Ghana Gas, Mr Alfred Obgamey, who confirmed the information, indicated that the plant was ready to process gas when the partners resumed operations.