Ghana Needs US$500m To Generate Additional Power

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Director of Planning and Business Development at the Volta River Authority, Kofi Ellis has hinted that for Ghana to permanently come out of its current energy woes an amount of US$500 million would be needed by the VRA to enable it generate about 200 Megawatts of power on yearly basis due to increasing demands.

According to him, one of the thermal plants at the VRA site in Takoradi in the Western Region is undergoing maintenance, one of the TICO plants is also under maintenance while a third Steam? turbine is been constructed to add on to the generational mix.

Meanwhile, the VRA?s 110 megawatts gas turbine at Tema is running while Asogli also operates very well subject to the available of gas supply.

However, Ellis indicates that the challenge facing the country?s power generation is in two folds. These include the availability of power generators; and the ability to access crude oil to fuel the power plants.

?It is not easy for a developing nation like Ghana to raise $500 million every year to generate 200 megawatts of power due to the current economic situation the nation finds itself,? he stated.

Ellis made the assertions on an Accra based radio station, Citi fm, when he appeared on the Citi Breakfast Show to answer questions pertaining to the power sector in Ghana.

Approaching the situation of providing gas for the thermal plants, Ellis revealed that technically, the initial gas that is being provided by the Ghana Gas Company from the Atuabo gas plant which is 30 million cubic feet will provide only 100 megawatts of power which is less than the deficit the nation is going through currently.

He promised that the VRA is putting in more efforts to get fuel both crude oil and gas to power the various plants.

Ghana?s power demand is growing at about 10% every year and without the $500 million investment in the sector annually, we cannot meet the demand challenges.

He said the Energy Commission has issued a license to Independent Power Producers to provide more than 4000 megawatts of power but are still waiting to have government guarantees to commence operations since they are privately owned.

To end the unpopular ?Dumsor? the Director revealed that the VRA is commissioning a new gas (thermal) power plant by the end of the year to provide 110 megawatts of power at Kpone and another to be commissioned next year for additional 110 megawatts.

In 2015, the Takoradi International Company Limited (TICO) plant will also be expanded from simple cycle to combine cycle to increase its generation to 100 megawatts, while plans to build another simple cycle plant of 120 megawatts in 2016 is underway.

The VRA?s 2.5 solar power project in the Northern Region will also be increased to 25 megawatts in 2016 to grow the solar industry?s producing power.

Government?s target is to have 5000 megawatts capacity of power generation.

The country?s demand is currently around 3, 500 megawatts but in order to have a reserve in case of emergency, hence the VRA?s plan towards this target.

Kofi Ellis also says that the power Ghana sells to Togo and Benin go a long way in supporting the crude purchases by the VRA.

Source: Ebenezer Sabutey || Spy News Agency

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