**West African Gas Pipeline Maintenance Delayed to 7 September**
*Lomé, 28 August 2026* – The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo), which owns and operates the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), announced on Thursday that the planned suspension of natural‑gas deliveries from Nigeria to Togo and Benin will begin on 7 September instead of the previously scheduled 28 August.
The change was disclosed during a briefing in Lomé and is attributed to the delayed availability of specialised offshore vessels required for the maintenance works. WAPCo said the vessels are now expected to be mobilised later than planned because of setbacks on another project, but that the scope, safety requirements, project objectives and coordination with stakeholders remain unchanged.
**Scope of the maintenance**
The maintenance programme, first outlined on 21 August, includes the following activities:
* **Togo:** Replacement of the submarine valve at the Lomé branch and an inspection of the pipeline.
* **Benin:** Internal inspection of the Cotonou branch and interconnection works between the WAPCo network and the Benin Gas Transmission System (BGTS).
* **Nigeria:** Replacement of valves at Itoki and at the Lagos Beach compression station, and installation of the NGIC metering system at Itoki.
WAPCo stressed that the works are scheduled and not the result of an incident.
**Implications for Togo’s electricity supply**
The postponement provides the Togolese electricity utility, the Compagnie Électrique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEET), with roughly ten additional days before the gas supply interruption. CEET had previously warned that from 28 August to 21 September it would face disruptions and would need to rely on more expensive liquid fuels rather than curtailing electricity output. The revised timeline is expected to allow CEET to adjust its fuel‑mix planning accordingly.
**Supply to Ghana**
According to WAPCo, gas deliveries to Ghana will continue uninterrupted, with flows sourced from the western segment of the pipeline to the Tema terminal.
The announcement was reported by *Togo First* and written by Fiacre E. Kakpo.
Article and image source: togofirst.com
