The Volta River Authority (VRA) would receive gas for power generation from the Atuabo Gas Infrastructure by mid-May 2014, Sinopec, the project executors, have stated.
The company noted that it was expecting some chemicals and parts of a spherical tank from South Africa to enable it complete the project on time.
David Xu, Technical Director of Sinopec, made this known on Friday when the Minister of Energy & Petroleum, Emmanuel Kofi-Armah Buah and major stakeholders in the petroleum sector, including Tullow Ghana Limited, Kosmos Energy, Volta River Authority (VRA), Environmental Protection Agency and Petroleum Commission, visited the gas project site to assess the progress of work.
According to Mr Xu, the mechanical completion of the gas project was slated for March 31, but added that April 28 would mark the first gas test-run from the Jubilee Oilfield.
Between 40 million and 60 million standard cubic feet of gas would be used for the test-run to warm up the machines for a period of 7 days.
Lean gas would be supplied to the VRA for power generation if that is approved.
Mr Xu said both onshore and offshore pipelines from the Jubilee Oilfields through Atuabo to the metering station at Aboadze had been laid.
He said vital gas processing components had been installed, including a Central Control Room, De-ethanizer and Debutanizer towers, Water Treatment Plant, Reception Facility Area, LPG Recovery Area, Flare KO Drum, LPG Tanks and Generators.
He said the gas plant has a capacity of 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day but would initially produce 120 million standard cubic feet.
A gas distribution station, he noted, had been built at Essiama to supply gas to the northern sector of the country.
Since the last quarter of last year, Government has continued to shift the completion date of the Atuabo Gas Infrastructure project, which is 95 per cent complete.
The project was said to be 72 percent complete in the latter part of last year.
Government recently called for an aggressive co-ordination of all stakeholders in the petroleum sector to facilitate the completion of the project.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy & Petroleum, recently described how the delayed completion of the project would affect oil production in the Jubilee Oilfields.
He noted that gas supply from Nigeria to the West African Pipeline had reduced from 80 million standard cubic feet per day to 30 million due to repair works and that the development would affect power generation at the Aboadze Thermal Plant.
By Samuel Boadi
