West Africa Gas Pipeline

West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is owned and operated by the West African Gas Pipeline Company limited (WAPCo). The pipeline transport natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Benin, Togo and Ghana. WAPCo is owned by Chevron West African Gas Pipeline Ltd (36.7%); Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (25%); Shell Overseas Holdings Limited (18%); and Takoradi Power Company Limited (16.3%), Societe Togolaise de Gaz (2%) and Societe BenGaz S.A. (2%).

The construction of the WAGP began in January 2005 and it was commissioned in early 2011. The project suffered from repeated delays due to political instability in the Niger Delta, damage to the pipeline and high levels of moisture in the gas.

The pipeline is 678 kilometres (km) long, and links into the existing Escravos-Lagos pipeline at the Nigeria Gas Company’s Itoki Natural Gas Export Terminal in Nigeria. From Lagos it runs offshore to Takoradi, in Ghana, with gas delivery laterals from the main line extending to Cotonou (Benin), Lome (Togo) and Tema (Ghana). WAPCo report that the system will carry a volume of 170 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd), which will grow over time to a capacity of 460MMscfd.

WAGPCo suggest that the pipeline will provide a lower-cost fuel for power generation, industrial use and commercial customers in West Africa. It also argues that other benefits will be seen within the region, such as job creation, reduced green house emissions, and infrastructure to stimulate further foreign investment.

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