Ghana Gas saves over US$250 million for using only Ghanaian engineers, technicians – Dr Asante
The Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGCL) has saved over US$250 million in operation costs, by tapping into the knowledge and services of only Ghanaian engineers and technicians for the maintenance and operations of the gas processing plant.
Ghanaian engineers took over the operations mantle of the gas processing plant from the Chinese contractor, Sinopec, in April 2017, resulting in accrued savings of three million dollars per month.
Dr Ben K. D. Asante, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Gas, made this known to the media in Accra during the Minister’s news briefing, on Sunday.
He said the company had about 1,000 permanent and contract Ghanaian staff in charge of the control room and other operating units of the facility.
Dr Asante further stated that the take-over of the RM’s operations by the Ghanaian engineers and technicians formed part of the indigenisation of the gas processing plant and it put confidence in the people that they could perform if given the opportunity.
The CEO of Ghana Gas said since the take-over by the Ghanaian engineers, there had been three major successful shutdowns of the gas plant for maintenance purposes, which was spearheaded solely by the Ghanaian engineers.
Dr Asante noted that there had been pigging of onshore pipelines and pipeline integrity management and attained ISO 45001 occupational health, environmental and safety management systems, Dr Asante stated, noting; “There is no loss-time to injury.”
On the company’s corporate social responsibility, Dr Asante said, it had completed over 400 projects in areas such as healthcare, education, water and sanitation, and sports facilities across the 16 regions of Ghana, while over 80 projects were ongoing.
“As good partners of the community, the company gives back to the society through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects including education, health, water and sanitation, road infrastructure, support sports development, skills training and livelihoods empowerment programmes,” Dr Asante stated.
He said the GNGCL currently supplied natural gas for power generation, thus providing about 80 per cent of gas for thermal power generation, supplied six per cent of the lean gas and condensate for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), covering 50 per cent of the domestic LPG requirements.
The GNGCL was established in July 2011 as a limited liability company with the responsibility to build, operate and own natural gas infrastructure, required for gathering, processing and transportation and marketing of gas and gas derivatives for Ghana.