Page 7 - DMEA Week 48 2021

DMEA SUPPLY & PROCESSING DMEA

Atuabo Gas Plant shutdown due

to routine maintenance

AFRICA THE Ghana National Gas Company Limited (turned) off the Atuabo Gas Plant, as I am talking
(GNGCL) says it will not shy away from routine to you, there is still gas that would not bring any
engineering and maintenance of machines and challenge to Ghanaians with respect to power
equipment at the Atuabo Gas plant in the West- generation,” he explained.
ern Region of Ghana, starfm.com reported on The GNGCL shutdown the Atuabo process-
November 22. ing plant in October of this year to make way for
Corporate communications head Ernest 14 days of routine engineering and maintenance
Owusu Bempah said such maintenance works activities.
are only to guarantee the integrity of the GNGL Although inconsistent with previous shut-
processing plant, and the company will continue downs, the Company said it is to enhance the
to do so in accordance with international best capacity for uninterrupted productivity while
practices. prolonging the lifespan of the machines and
His statement came in response to public equipment.
outcry to the effect that Ghana was back into Such operations involved the installation
the erratic power supply popularly known in of High Integrity Pressure Protection Sys-
the country as ‘Dum Sor,’ literally meaning ‘Off tems (HIPPS), maintenance works on the
and On’. “So how a section of the public feels that replacement of Small -Bore Piping (SBP), Heat
when we (turn) off the Atuabo Gas Plant then Exchange (HEX) cleaning, replacement of dam-
the nation returns to having power outages, this aged Product Cooler, replacement of defective
cannot be true. valves among others.
“I have stated that there is a system in place Except the said time for the maintenance
which gives us the opportunity to have Gas from works has elapsed and there is a delay in putting
ENI (ENI-Sankofo Sanzule Onshore Gas Receiv- the plant back on due to gas shortage, fuelling
ing facility), that’s a combination of Atuabo, ENI public speculation that the country may be going
and an additional one (Asogli Power Plant) that back to erratic power supply.
provides us with extra gas to generate electricity But Owusu Bempah assured that the Com-
for Ghanaians. pany has reliable gas supply options available for
“Therefore, despite the fact that we have power generation.™

Egypt signs MoU with

Israel for gas re-export

MENA EGYPTIAN and Israeli energy ministers signed In light of the pivotal role natural gas would
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on play during the next phase of the transition from
the sidelines of the sixth ministerial meeting of fossil fuels to the use of clean energies within
the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum aimed the framework of global efforts to achieve net-
at increasing natural gas supplies for re-export zero emissions, the MoU stated that natural gas
within the framework of working together to is a transitional fuel whose use in the eastern
expand the use of natural gas to reduce green- Mediterranean is contributing to a significant
house gas (GHG) emissions in the region. reduction in emissions, especially after the sharp
They are also planning to use existing pipe- decline in the use of coal and petroleum in Egypt
lines to transport hydrogen in the future. Egyp- and Israel.
tian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla and Over the past few months, a joint Egypt-Is-
Israeli Energy Minister Karen El Harar discussed rael working group has held several meetings
opportunities to support joint co-operation in conducting a comprehensive review of the pos-
the oil and gas field to optimise economic bene- sibility of expanding natural gas supplies for
fit for both sides. re-export.™

Week 48 02•December•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7