Correction: 900MW Domunli power plants will improve power generation, distribution in Ghana – Energy Minister
Plans are far advanced for the construction of 900 megawatts power plants at Domunli in the Jomoro area of the Western region, the Energy Ministry has said on its website May 18, 2012.
This projects when completed, will feed on processed gas from Atuabo to generate electricity, the site indicated.
Work is progressing steadily on various projects initiated by the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Energy to ensure that the country’s energy requirements are met.
According to the website, the Minister for Energy, Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, who inspected some of the projects in the Western Region early this week, was satisfied with the progress of work so far and expressed the hope that by the end of this year, the country’s power generation, transmission and distribution capacity will improve tremendously.
The minister was at Aboadze where he inspected work on the Takoradi Thermal Power Station Expansion Project (T3 Project), which is expected to add 132 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
Dr Oteng-Adjei’s tour took him to Suazo and Ansokrom in the Jomoro District, Banso and Asonsi in the Nzema East Municipality, Adzan in the Ellembele District and Simpa Nkwata and Kofikrom in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, which are all benefiting from a $350 million rural electrification project being undertaken by Weldy Lamont/TMG, a US-Ghanaian collaboration.
So far, design drawings for 1,292 towns in 17 districts in the Western Region under first survey works by the contractor have been approved by the ECG for construction. Out of this number, the state agency has issued work orders on 479 towns for award packages to the contractor for which works have commenced in 402 towns.
The minister told journalists that the government has provided funding for the replacement of all obsolete equipment within the country’s power transmission system, adding that when this is done, it would bring great relief to Ghanaians. He said the government was very much aware of the significance of power supply to the growth and long term planning by commerce and industry, the website states.
Kick-starting his tour with a meeting with heads of decentralized departments, workers and some members of the Jomoro District Assembly, he urged the people of Jomoro to ensure that they take advantage of various projects being embarked on in their District.
Dr. Oteng-Adjei is quoted by the website saying that, the installation of a power generation plant in the area, which will feed on processed gas from Atuabo, will attract industries to the locality to provide jobs for the people. He therefore called on them, especially the youth, to develop themselves in readiness for the opportunities that will become available.
The site revealed that, at Aboadze, the minister commissioned a new office building to house VRA officials who have mostly been working in temporary offices. Addressing a durbar ahead of the commissioning, the Dr. Oteng-Adjei reiterated the government’s commitment to increasing the country’s electricity generation capacity to 5000MW in the medium term.
By Pascal Kelvin Kudiabor