A statement issued by the GNPC and copied to the Ghana News Agency announced the completion of the initial phase (Takoradi scope) of the project to reverse the flow of gas from the Western Region of Ghana to the Tema power enclave, which was being financed by the Corporation.

It said this feat was achieved with the support and collaboration of ENI Ghana Exploration and Production Limited, Vitol Ghana Upstream, Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) and the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo).

It noted that commissioning and performance testing of the Takoradi scope of the "Takoradi – Tema Interconnection Project" (TTIP) had been successfully carried out.

It said the successful execution of this scope of the project paved the way for the smooth flow of gas from the Western Region to Tema for use by the various gas off takers in the Tema-Accra power and industrial enclave.

The statement said the Tema section of the TTIP, which included the revamping of WAPCo Tema Regulatory and Metering Station (RMS) was ongoing and was expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2019.

On GNPC's role, the statement said as the National Gas Aggregator, GNPC played an enabler role, providing the financing and necessary comforts to the partners to ensure the successful completion of the project.

It said GNPC engineers also provided end-to-end advice in the design and scoping, as well as monitoring of the project execution.

With regards to the implications for Ghana's power sector, the statement said the successful completion of the project had enormous benefits for the country's power sector.

Dr Kofi Koduah Sarpong Chief Executive Officer of GNPC said: "Ghana Gas' ability to supply gas for a stable production of electricity means that, cost of electricity to the final consumer will now be relatively lower as compared to the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) or diesel as fuel for electricity generation."

He stated that the cost of production for local companies, especially in the manufacturing and mining sectors, would reduce significantly to enable them become more competitive.

Dr Sarpong was optimistic that, with GNPC's drive to increase the utilization of domestic gas, the take-or-pay obligation on the country would be reduced significantly, once the power sector pays for the gas.

The statement said the project had also doubled the capacity of Ghana Gas to transport GNPC's gas to feed critical national power generation facilities sited in the Western enclave.

Again, gas users in the Accra-Tema region were assured of relatively more reliable gas supply through the TTIP.

GNPC is Ghana's national oil company, established under Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Law, 1983, PNDC Law 64, with the mandate to undertake exploration, development, production, and disposal of petroleum.

GNPC is anchor partner in all upstream operations in Ghana, currently operates the Voltaian Basin Project, and it is the national gas aggregator, leading the efforts to commercialize domestic gas and to ensure national energy security.