The prospect for development have been boosted with the naming of Credit Suisse First Boston as financial advisor to the project.
The project will supply gas from Nigeria’s Escravos field to Benin, Togo and Ghana, all of which need fuel for power generation. The Takoradi gas-fired plant in Ghana will be an important consumer. Ghana will consume 85 per cent of the gas delivered. The pipe will have an initial capacity of 120 million ft3/day. This capacity could later be increased.
There are parallel talks on creating a West African Power Pool. This will involve a high voltage cable connecting the four countries to a grid.