The first phase of the Takoradi-Tema Interconnection Project (TTIP), to reverse the flow of natural gas from the Western Region to Tema, has been completed, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has announced.

The completion of the ‘Takoradi scope’ of the project, it said had paved the way for the smooth flow of gas from the Aboadze power enclave for use by the various gas off-takers in the Tema-Accra power and industrial enclave.

A statement issued in Accra on Tuesday by the Corporate Affairs Department of GNPC, said commissioning and performance testing of the scope of the project had been successfully carried out.

It said the feat was achieved with the support and collaboration of ENI Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd., Vitol Ghana Upstream, Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) and the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo).

It said the Tema section of the TTIP, which includes the revamping of WAPCo Tema Regulatory and Metering Station (RMS), was ongoing and was expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of the year.

According to the statement, the CEO of GNPC Dr Kofi K. Sarpong has noted that the successful completion of the project would present enormous benefits for the country’s power sector.

“Ghana Gas’ ability to supply gas for a stable production of electricity means that, cost of electricity to the final consumer will now be relatively lower as compared to the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) or diesel as fuel for electricity generation,” it quoted him.

It said Dr Sarpong was of the view that the cost of production for local companies, especially in the manufacturing and mining sectors, would reduce significantly to enable them become more competitive.

It said Dr Sarpong was optimistic that, with GNPC’s drive to increase the utilisation of domestic gas, the take-or-pay obligation on the country would be reduced significantly, once the power sector paid for the gas.

“This project has also doubled the capacity of Ghana Gas to transport GNPC’s gas to feed critical national power generation facilities sited in the Western enclave. Again, gas users in the Accra-Tema region are assured of relatively more reliable gas supply through the TTIP,” it said.

Highlighting GNPC’s role, the statement said GNPC, as the National Gas Aggregator provided the financing and necessary comforts to the partners to ensure the successful completion of the project.

It said GNPC engineers also provided end-to-end advice in the design and scoping, as well as monitoring of the project execution.