While plans are underway to join the Ghana Gas and the West African pipelines, government is planning another dedicated pipeline from the Western Region to Tema to help evacuate larger volumes of gas in the near future.

The second pipeline will also serve as a substitute whenever problems are encountered with the West African pipeline.

Chief Director of the Petroleum Ministry, Prof Thomas Akabza, told BFT that the project, estimated to cost around $250 million, has become necessary in anticipation of larger volumes of gas and the increasing number of thermal plants in the Tema area.

Technicians, Prof Akabza said, have determined that up to 350 million standard cubic feet of gas can be evacuated to Tema when the Ghana Gas and the West African pipelines are joined.

Other gas projects, meanwhile, are in the works: the Sankofa project is expected to produce at maximum 170 MMSCFD while some 50 MMSCFD is expected from the Tweneboah, Enyeara and Ntomme (TEN) project n addition to the 120 million from the Jubilee Field.

All that gas cannot be used up in the Aboadze enclave of the Western Region; indeed, Tema is witnessing an increasing of thermal plants in recent times – all of which will require gas to operate.