The installation of the 569 km main offshore segment of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) has started, oil giant Chevron said in a statement issued Wednesday.

The project is being operated by the West African Gas Pipeline Company Ltd., in which Chevron holds the largest interest, followed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell.

"This event represents a significant achievement for the WAGP shareholders and is testimony to the strong commitment of the governments of Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo to make this project a reality," John Watson, president of Chevron International Exploration and Production said.

Watson further noted that when complete, the estimated 590 million US dollars project will be the first regional natural gas transmission system to have been developed in sub-Saharan Africa.

And first gas delivery is scheduled for December 2006, he added.

The offshore route of the 13.5 million cubic meters per day capacity pipeline will be parallel to the coastline, approximately 15 to 20 km offshore in water depths of between 30 and 75 meters, the statement said.

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 km per day, it said.

When the offshore section is completed, it will be connected to a new onshore pipeline and compressor station in Nigeria and the entire 678 km pipeline will link the Volta River Authority's power plant at Takoradi, Ghana to Nigerian natural gas from an existing pipeline located near the commercial city of Lagos, the statement added.

Source: Xinhua