(Ecofin Agency) - The Ghanaian Government has endorsed the construction of a 24” diameter 290-kilometre Onshore Pipeline from Aboadze in the Western Region to Tema in the Greater Accra Region.

The aim of the pipeline which is estimated to cost about $500 million is to help transport larger volumes of gas in the near future.

Therefore, the government through the Ministry of Petroleum, has ordered the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) to construct the Onshore Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline (NGTP), which would go through the Western, Central, Eastern and Greater Accra regions.

This project is anticipated to also provide two-way transport of gas between the Takoradi and Tema, provide supply-security between the Western Region and Greater Accra Region and also provide significant mobile gas storage for planned delivery to the downstream power plants in case of supply outage.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas, George Sipa-Adjah Yankey (photo), the Onshore Pipeline is to be constructed on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model and is scheduled to be completed within two years.

He added that the pipeline will transport a peak capacity of 380 Mmscfd of gas in the first Phase while the capacity will increase to 550 Mmscfd of gas in Phase 2.

The CEO stated that the pipeline would provide a steady and sustainable capacity for the conveyance of Ghana’s natural gas flows from the Tano basin.

Upon completion of the pipeline, Ghana Gas would have built a national gas infrastructure that spans about 80% of Ghana’s coastal frontier.

The Onshore Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline (NGTP) has become crucial in hope of larger volumes of gas and the increasing number of thermal plants in the Tema area.

The Sankofa project is estimated to produce 170 Mmscfd of gas while about 80 Mmscfd is expected from the Tweneboah, Enyera and Ntomrne (TEN) project along with the 120 million from the Jubilee Field, Ghana Web reports.

Anita Fatunji