West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGP) Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast - will be meeting in Abuja
Posted on September 10, 2008 – 9:52 am | by oilandgaspress.com
Participating countries in the West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGP) Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast - will be meeting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, next month with a view to reviewing the commercial agreement as well as set a new code of conduct guiding the operation of the joint venture gas deal.
The plan to engage in further talks came on the heels of a revelation that the planned test-run of the pipeline infrastructure in Ghana has been put on hold because of the inability of the authorities of WAGP to secure the supply of dry gas from Shell facility in Nigeria.
The Director of Operations at the WAGP headquarters in Abuja, Mr. Magbonde Le’once, provided an update on the implementation of the ambitious multi-billion dollar gas distribution project at an energy investment and access workshop taking place in Accra, Ghana.
He said the meeting would among other issues seek to consider the inclusion of code of conduct that would guide parties in the joint venture in the course of the implementation of the project. http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=122115
West African Gas Pipeline Project outline
Location Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana
Total Cost US$500.00 million
Funding US$125 million
Dates 2004 –2007
Status Active
The West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) project involves the construction of a 680 kilometer transport system designed to carry natural gas from Nigeria to markets in Benin, Togo and Ghana. In 2004, the World Bank and its private sector insurance arm, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), together provided risk insurance totalling $125 million for WAGP, which is financed by a consortium of private companies led by Chevron. Project sponsors have claimed that the pipeline will improve the environment and promote regional development, but local civil society groups are concerned that promised benefits will not be realized. Completion of pipeline construction is expected in early 2007, having been delayed by instability in the Niger Delta region where the gas is to be extracted, a scenario predicted by local groups even while the project was under preparation. The project has become the subject of a claim to the World Bank Inspection Panel by affected communities in Nigeria, who have cited the inadequacy of the project’s environmental impact assessment and public consultations, and the failure to demonstrate how the project will reduce gas flaring in Nigeria or bring benefits to local communities./www.bicusa.org
Tags: Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, NIGERIA, Project (WAGP) Nigeria, Togo, West African Gas Pipeline
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