West African Gas Pipeline

Name of the project and location
West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin.

Project description
The WAGP is an international gas transmission system that will traverse 620 miles (1 033 km), both onshore and offshore from Nigeria's Niger Delta region to its planned terminus in Ghana.

The undersea pipeline will extend from the existing Escravos–Lagos pipeline at the Algabado ‘Tee’ and proceed to a beachhead near Badagry, in Nigeria, and from there offshore to Takoradi, in Ghana, with gas delivery laterals from the main line extending to Cotonou (Benin), Lomé (Togo) and Tema (Ghana).

The offshore route of the 475-million-cubic-feet-a-day capacity pipeline will be parallel to the coastline, about 15 km to 20 km offshore in water depths of between 30 m and 75 m. Pipe will be laid using the lay barge, Sea Horizon, which can weld and lay the concrete-coated pipes at an average rate of two to three kilometres a day.

When the offshore section is completed, it will be connected to a new onshore pipeline and compressor station in Nigeria, and the entire pipeline will link the Volta River Authority’s power plant at Takoradi, Ghana, to Nigerian natural gas from an existing pipeline located near the city of Lagos.

Further to the delivery point at Takoradi there will be other onshore delivery points, including regulating and metering/custody transfer stations at Tema, in Ghana; Lomé, in Togo; and Cotonou, in Benin.

Value
$500-million, with $600-million to be spent on the development of new and renovated power facilities in the four States using the gas.

Duration
The project is expected to be commissioned in March 2007.
Breakdown of main contracts
The four main project contracts and implementing contractors are: Corinth Pipeworks (CPW), for line pipe procurement; Bredero Shaw, for concrete weight coating; Horizon Offshore, for offshore engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and Willbros West Africa, for onshore EPC.

Client
The WAGP partners are ChevronTexaco with 36,7%, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with 25%, Shell with 18%, Ghana's Volta River Authority with 16,3%, and SoBeGaz and SoToGaz each with a 2% interest.

Latest developments
The WAGP has been completed and is expected to be commissioned in March 2007.

It is possible that the WAGP will be extended to markets in the Côte d'Ivoire. Speculation has the WAGP eventually terminating in Senegal, but the current regional stability problems of several countries (Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone) that lie on the way to Senegal, will hinder any further extension of the WAGP.

Participants
CPW, Bredero Shaw, Horizon Offshore and Willbros West Africa.

Construction materials
Not stated.

On budget and on time?
Yes.

Contact details for project information
Chevron, tel +1 925 842 1000.