Gas pipeline to be fixed by Dec.

The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) says it expects to fix the damaged portion of its pipeline by December 25 to restore natural-gas supply to power plants in Ghana. Mr. Charles Adeniji, its Managing Director, said divers have discovered the exact location of the damage, caused by a shipping vessel on the coast of Togo, and that six joints have been recommended for replacement. A construction barge, he said, has been hired to fabricate the replacement of the six-pipe joints. The work involves not only the joining together of the damaged joints but the removal of water to make the pipeline dry to receive gas, he added. “As soon as the pipeline is dry to the specification that we want, we will introduce gas. It is at this point that we will say we have finished.” Part of the West African Gas Pipeline was damaged at about 2am on August 28, 2012 when a skirmish between Togolese Navy and a third-party vessel resulted in the vessel dragging its anchor into the pipeline and ripping it apart. The two ends of the pipeline were dragged about 10 and 15 metres off the original position. This resulted in an immediate shutdown of the pipeline from the source of supply in Nigeria. The recipient countries -- Benin, Togo and Ghana -- have since been without gas from the pipeline. Mr. Adeniji said WAPCo loses between US$500 to US$600 daily as a result of the damage. He called on governments in the sub-region to create a secured business environment for the company to grow and to forestall future occurrence of the accident. Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced an extension of its power-rationing programme to the end of October, tentatively. It has maintained, however, that businesses will be spared the blackouts to prevent production losses. source:B&FT