Ghana spends $126m on eight key energy projects
The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Energy says it has completed eight key energy projects in the country at a total cost of $126 million.
These projects, started since 2009 include some completed, those under construction, upgraded projects as well as expansion of energy systems which will supply adequate electricity power to all parts of the country.
The Energy Minister, Dr Joe Oteng Adjei who explained the need for the investments at a press briefing in Accra early October 2011 said, “currently the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS) is saddled with over-aged and obsolete equipment, overloads, high losses, low voltages and evacuation constraints among others. The Ministry is addressing these challenges through progressive replacement of these over-aged and obsolete equipment and reinforcement of others.”
Dr Oteng adds “In line with that, government has initiated projects since 2009 to achieve this target. Some of these projects are on-going while others have been completed.
The completed projects which were made available in the Minister’s speech are:
- Construction of 60 km 161 kV line between Kumasi and Obuasi to reinforce transmission at a cost of $10.0 million. This will increase the power transmission capacity to Kumasi and the North.
- Construction of a 330 kV Aboadze – Volta Transmission Line. This is Ghana’s first 330 kV transmission line and substation facility. It comprises 220 km of 330 kV transmission line from Takoradi to Tema. The associated cost is $80.0 million.
- The upgrade of existing 200 MVA transmission line between Volta and New Tema substations in Tema at a cost of $1.0 million.
- The provision of a fourth 161 kV transmission line between Tema and Accra to increase the power transfer capacity into Accra at a cost of $2.0 million.
- Upgrading of transformer capacity at Ho, Asiekpe, Techiman, Kumasi, Tema, Winneba and Takoradi at a cost of $10.0 million.
- Installation of capacitor banks at Achimota, Kumasi, Takoradi, Sunyani, Kpando and Smelter substations to improve upon system voltages and reduce the demand for reactive power from power plants at a cost of $4.5 million.
- Construction of a 161/34.5 kV 25 MVA substation at Buipe to supply power to the Savanna-Diamond Cement factory and Buipe Township and its environs. The station was energized in April 2011. The cost of the project was $8.5 million.
- Expansion of the existing Mallam substation by the incorporation of two additional transformers and two 161 kV transmission lines to meet the increasing Accra load at $10.0 million.
Despite these completed projects, Dr Oteng Adjei highlighted overloading of equipment and lines due to capacity constraints, weak feeders and obsolete equipment, lack of adequate system redundancies or alternative sources of supply and inordinately long feeders as some of the numerous challenges facing the country with regards to the operation of distribution network of power.
By Ekow Quandzie