Atuabo Gas Plant Progressing Steadily

From Esther Awuah, Atuabo

SINOPEC, the Chinese contractor working on the Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo in the Western region, is going the extra mile to meet its December 2012 deadline for the completion of the first phase of the project.

The Gas Processing Plant of the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) is expected to process gas from the Jubilee field into clean fuels and feedstock for the domestic and export markets while promoting the development of the country’s petrochemical industries to eliminate the flaring of gas.

Victor Kofi Sunu-Attah, a Project Development Manager from GNGC recently disclosed that “GNGC has been given its marching orders by the Ministry of Energy to give the first gas to be produced by January 2013 to the Volta River Authority (VRA) by February of the same year.”

A visit by the paper to Atuabo showed that the area where the gas plant would be situated had been cleared while labourers were busily filling the area with sand.
Trucks filled with sand were seen moving to and fro while pipelines were being laid from the processing plant to the Takoradi Thermal Plant at Aboadze.

Though some of the Chinese workers declined to speak, this paper gathered that work goes on throughout the week and at night.

Philip Parker, a labourer at the site, disclosed that he was employed to work at the site as a labourer about three weeks ago and receives a daily wage of GH¢14 a day.
He said “since the commencement of the project most of the young people in Atuabo and its surrounding villages have been engaged as temporary labourers on the site.”

Parker, who was formally engaged in illegal mining (galamsey), expressed the hope that the labourers would be trained in other areas so they could take advantage of the project when it gets to the construction stage.

Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema, in an interview with this paper, said he was delighted that the project had been sited at Atuabo to help create more job opportunities for inhabitants.

He said “it is a delight for Atuabo to host this national project because of the enormous job opportunities and benefits it holds for not only its inhabitants, but Ghana as a whole.”

He however expressed the hope that the jobs, which would be created as a result of the project, would be sustainable.