The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) have announced the resumption of operations at power plants that were shut down due to the suspension of gas supply from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO).
In a joint press statement, the two entities confirmed that thermal power plants in Tema have resumed operations. “The Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) wish to inform the general public that the gas supply from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) for thermal power plants in Tema has resumed,” the statement read.
The statement further noted that all power plants that were shut down have been restored to operation, and power supply to all affected customers has also been restored.
The shutdown of the power plants was caused by a temporary suspension of gas supply from WAPCO, which was necessitated by the cleaning and inspection of a 56km x 30 onshore pipeline section between Itoki and Badagry in Nigeria. According to WAPCo, the exercise revealed a larger-than-expected volume of liquids and debris, which triggered operational upsets at the Tema Regulatory & Metering Station and required a temporary shutdown for safety reasons and investigation.
A follow-up joint statement issued by ECG and GRIDCo had explained that the shutdown of the Tema station had resulted in a shortfall in power supply, requiring some limited load management. The temporary closure of some thermal power plants in Tema had also led to a shortfall in electricity generation. However, with the resumption of gas supply from WAPCO, power supply has been restored to normal.
