Government spends US$886 million on Atuabo Gas project

Accra, May 20, GNA - The Government of Ghana on Wednesday said it has made total payments and committed cost of more than $886 million on the Atuabo Gas Project.

Total amount yet to be committed is US$113.56 million, Mr Emmanual Armah Kofi Buah, the Minister of Petroleum, told Parliament on Wednesday.

He was answering a question that stood in the name of Mr Mustapha Usif, Member of Parliament (MP) for Yagaba-Kubori, which sought to know from the Minister the actual cost of the Atuabo Gas Project.

According to the Minister, the Ghana National Gas Company Limited (Ghana Gas) was formed in 2011, and the contract for the construction of the Gas Infrastructure Project (EPPC) was signed in July 2012.

Mr Buah said Mechanical Completion of the Project was achieved in August 2014 and commissioning started in November 2014 and ended last April.

'The total budget for the project was US 1 billion made up of US$850 million China Development Bank (CDB) facility and Government of Ghana counterpart funding of US$150 million,' Mr Buah said.

He gave the components of the Gas Infrastructure Project, which is in the Western Region, as consisting of Offshore Pipeline, Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo, Onshore Pipeline to gas off-centre (Aboadze and Prestea) and Operations Office Complex at Essiama.

The consideration of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill was deferred because key members of the House were not present in the chamber to make contributions.

Mr Ebo Barton-Odro, the First Deputy Speaker, who sat in the chair, directed that as many members of the House to join the select committee working on the bill for ample discussions and inputs into the bill so that the considerations would no longer be deferred.

Meanwhile, members raised issues on the suspension of the voters' registration exercise by the Electoral Commission, and the upward adjustment of prices of petroleum products, as matters of public interest.

The Speaker also read communication from the Office of the President informing the House of the absence of President John Dramani Mahama on an official assignment in the United Kingdom from the May 20 to May 25, 2015.

GNA