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The Ghana Gas Company Limited has ruled out any significant impact of its ten day shutdown of the Atuabo gas processing plant, on the country’s power supply, for the period.

The company is expected to shut down the facility from Wednesday, August 31, 2016; for routine maintenance.

A statement on the exercise indicated that the plant has been in operation for more than 12,000 hours since pre-commissioning and commissioning activities started in 2014.

It further noted the maintenance is to facilitate warranty assurance on the installed equipment.

The development is expected to affect the quantity of gas supply to various thermal plants for power generation.

It is also anticipated that the development may lead to increased cost of power production from light crude oil.

But the Corporate Communications Manager of Ghana Gas, Alfred Ogbarmey tells Citi Business News he does not anticipate that should have a long term effect on the price mix and the supply of power.

“There will be some impact no matter what, in that the cost of generation of energy per kilowatt; would increase within the period. The cost of energy generation within the period could double because natural gas is far more cheaper and more efficient than light crude oil, but it is such a short time and we do not anticipate that it should have a running long term effect on the price index or the price mix for the determination of energy,” he stated.
The company early this year, undertook a similar planned maintenance of its Atuabo gas processing plant.

The maintenance works lasted for fourteen days

Alfred Ogbarmey however tells Citi Business News the company has improved on its operations hence the basis to set the maintenance period for ten days this time round.

“During the last maintenance shutdown early this year, we announced that it should take us not more than fourteen days. We have reduced that to ten days now because of the improvement in our ability to work within those times and even within the ten days, it is our expectation that we will be able to work within the period,” Mr. Ogbarmey added.

Meanwhile the planned shutdown of the gas facility coincides with protests by some workers of the company who are demanding better conditions of work.
The concerns by the workers led to a demonstration at the facility on Friday, August 26.

The Chairman of the workers’ union, Richard Alamu however intimated that a meeting between management and the aggrieved workers is scheduled to come off later this week.