Ghana’s power supply has been disrupted due to ongoing maintenance on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAPCo).
The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) confirmed on Thursday that the activities have led to a shortfall in electricity generation, forcing limited load management in parts of the country.
“This has caused a shortfall in power supply, requiring some limited load management in parts of the country,” GRIDCo and ECG stated in a joint release.
Unexpected Challenges During Maintenance
The disruptions stem from cleaning and inspection work on a 56-kilometre onshore section of the pipeline between Itoki and Badagry in Nigeria, conducted by the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).
During the process, “a larger-than-expected volume of liquids and debris was received at the Lagos Beach Compressor Station,” WAPCo explained.
The findings caused operational disturbances, prompting the temporary shutdown of Ghana’s Tema Regulatory & Metering Station for safety and further investigations. WAPCo emphasized that the closure was necessary to address the unexpected challenges safely.
According to the statement,the shutdown of the Tema station forced the temporary closure of some thermal power plants in Tema, reducing Ghana’s power generation capacity.
However, GRIDCo and ECG assured the public that WAPCo is working diligently to resolve the issue.
“We are optimistic that WAPCo will soon resolve the challenge and restore gas supply,” they said.
GRIDCo and ECG stated that once gas supply resumes, power will be fully restored to affected areas. They also urged the public to conserve electricity and rely on official updates for information.
“We express our gratitude to our key stakeholders for their patience during this process and apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the entities added.
