Ghana government takes steps to settle N-Gas $75m debt

John Jinapor

Next week, the government will negotiate with N-Gas Limited of Nigeria. They aim to pay $37.5 million of the debt for gas supply. This is crucial for power plants in Ghana.

The negotiations will help ensure a steady gas supply. This comes during ongoing maintenance on gas pipelines, set to finish by March 2, 2025.

Mr. John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, spoke to journalists after visiting WAPCo. He toured the regulating and metering station in Tema on Friday.

WAPCo operates a 569-kilometre pipeline from Nigeria to Takoradi in Ghana. They temporarily shut down gas transmission on February 5, 2025, for maintenance work.

This work includes cleaning and inspecting the pipeline. Mr. Jinapor noted that N-Gas threatened to stop gas supply due to a $75-million debt.

He emphasized that the government is focused on solving this issue. “We will do everything possible,” he said, ensuring stable power is maintained for economic growth.

He praised WAPCo and its stakeholders for their hard work during this period. Dr. Isaac Adjei Doku briefed the Minister about the maintenance progress.

He assured that barring unforeseen circumstances, maintenance would finish by March 2, 2025. The shutdown allows them to launch Pipeline Inspection Gauges (PIGs) into the pipeline.

Dr. Doku mentioned three PIGs have been successfully launched from Tema to Takoradi. The fourth PIG is expected early Saturday morning on February 22.

This final PIG is known as the intelligent PIG and collects data inside the pipeline. Additionally, WAPCo is replacing two subsea valves near Tema and Cotonou.

The replacement vessel reached its position on Monday, located 18 kilometers from Tema's Regulating and Metering Station.