The supply of gas from Nigeria to Ghana may have suffered another setback following the damage caused by a fire incident on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS), which supplies gas from Escravos in the Niger Delta area to Lagos.
The pipeline, which supplies gas to power plants in the South-West, also feeds the West Africa Gas Pipeline System (WAGPS).
The $1bn WAGPS, operated by the West Africa Pipeline Company Limited, was built to supply natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Benin, Togo and Ghana.
Ghana gets about 25% of its power supply through gas from Nigeria, which flows through the pipeline via Benin and Togo. The country has a deal with Nigeria to receive 120 million standard cubic feet of gas daily.
However, gas supply from Nigeria to Ghana has often been curtailed in recent years by several challenges, including the resurgence of militant attacks in the Niger Delta in 2016.
On Tuesday, the fire incident on the ELPS led to a total collapse of Nigeria’s power grid, worsening the nation’s electricity woes.
The NNPC said the line would require being isolated and depressurised, which might lead to a complete shutdown of the pipeline segment for repair works to be carried out.
