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26.11.2011 General News

Gas Processing Plant To Be Ready Dec 2012

By Timothy Gobah - Daily Graphic
Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey - Chief Executive of Ghana GasDr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey - Chief Executive of Ghana Gas
26.11.2011 LISTEN

Work is expected to commence early next year, on the construction of the country’s first gas infrastructure, including a gas processing plant at Doryumi in the Western Region.

This follows the signing of a Project Implementation Agreement between the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) and a Chinese firm, Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation, last week, for the development of the early phase of the gas infrastructure in the Western Region.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Chief Executive of Ghana Gas, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, explained that Ghana should have a functioning gas processing plant and infrastructure linking the FPSO to the processing plant and to Aboadze and Prestea through Esiama by December 2012.

“A lot of work has gone into the process so far and the signing of the agreement is good news for Ghana gas and the people of Ghana.

The team will arrive in Ghana next month, and after reviewing all the technical and construction details we are confident that the offshore and onshore pipelines and the gas processing plant should be ready for inauguration by December 2012,” Dr Yankey said.

A highly experienced company that has been involved in the execution of oil and gas projects worldwide, Sinopec will construct and commission the 150 MMSCFD Gas Processing Plant. It will also lay a 36-kilometre shallow water offshore pipeline from the FPSO to the plant, a 120-kilometre onshore pipeline from the gas processing plant to Aboadze and a 75-kilometre onshore pipeline from Esiama to Prestea, and construct a jetty for the export of natural gas liquids and an operations and control office complex.

The contract for the engineering design of the gas processing plant has been awarded to a French company, Technip, and work is underway. Work on the engineering design of the offshore pipeline from the FPSO to the gas processing plant has almost been completed by Intecsea/ Worley Parson of Houston, USA and Sinopec will soon commence work on the engineering design for the onshore pipeline to Aboadze and Prestea.

The government confirmed in the 2012 budget presented to Parliament last week its policy of accelerated infrastructure development in line with the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda 2010-2013.

The development framework, according to the budget, “affirms the government’s commitment to build better infrastructure as a catalyst for an accelerated economic growth and development”.

Commenting on the Sinopec agreement, Dr Yankey said while it would be funded from the China Development Bank (CDB) facility approved by Parliament in August this year, the Chinese firm would pre-finance the start of work pending the release of the funds by the CDB.

“This means that there’ll be no time wasted, and we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that the gas infrastructure is put in place as soon as possible while holding ourselves in readiness for the disbursement of the CDB facility,” says Dr Yankey.

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