Sankofa-Gye Nyame Project To Increase Power Supply By 50%

Development works on Ghana's third oil field, the Sankofa-Gye Nyame Project, is on course to deliver first oil and gas in August 2017 and February 2018 respectively, one of the project partners, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has said.

The coming on stream of the project is crucial to the transformation of the economy, given that it is expected to add about 30,000 barrels of oil per day and 180 million standard cubic feet of gas daily to the national oil and gas pool.

The expected daily output of gas is enough to generate about 1,100 megawatts (MW) of power, almost half of the current national electricity requirement.

A statement from GNPC said work on the project, which is valued at US$7.9 billion, had seen significant progress, about 12 months after it commenced.

"Working with private partners, ENI and Vitol, alongside the World Bank, we expect to deliver the Sankofa-Gye Nyame project on time and on budget for the benefit of the people of Ghana," the statement said.

ENI, an Italian oil firm, holds 47.22 per cent in the field, leaving the remainder to Swiss oil trader, Vitol, with 37.78 per cent and GNPC with 15 per cent.

As a national gas aggregator, GNPC hopes to play an enabling role, by facilitating investments in the construction of gas export pipelines to be integrated with the Ghana Gas pipelines, the statement quoted the acting Chief Executive Officer of the corporation, Mr Alexander Mould, as saying.

The interfacing of the gas pipelines from the Sankofa-Gye Nyame field with the Ghana Gas plant at Atuabo is to create a network necessary to ensure efficient supply of fuel to improve the national energy capacity.

"We are pleased to have made significant progress in just one year, but there is much more to do. We will continue to collaborate with these institutions, and in addition, provide access to the use of project equipment, machinery and vehicles, to ensure the successful delivery of the project," Mr Mould said.

FPSO halfway complete

The statement said work on the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel was more than halfway complete and had sailed for the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, where it would be integrated with oil and gas processing modules. 

The vessel, which will be the country's third oil rig, had initially undergone conversion and life extension at the HRDD Shipyard in China to meet the 20-year life of the field.

The conversion took into consideration the fact that once the vessel was placed offshore, it would not go through dry-docking - move to a shipyard for maintenance.

The statement explained that the FPSO was expected to be completed and set sail to the country in the first quarter of next year. 

"The manufacture of subsea production systems and facilities are well underway. Five deepwater wells have been drilled in the field," it added.