Ghana adds 470MW to electricity stock

As part of effort to ensure electricity sufficiency, the country has added 470 megawatts to its installed capacity.

This takes Ghana’s installed capacity to over 3000 megawatts.

Although, this is still below the target of 5000 megawatts installed capacity the previous government planned to achieve by the year 2020, it is a great milestone which leads the country into energy sufficiency.

The 470mw addition is due to the inauguration of the largest ever powership in the world ‘Osman Khan’ last week.

The karpowership has the capacity to generate 470 megawatts of power.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Joseph Cudjoe, revealed the powership replaces the 225 megawatts powership, Karadeniz Powership Aysegul Sultan.

Mr. Cudjoe said the Osman Khan powership would be relocated to Takoradi to make use of gas from off the Cape Three points in the Western Region.

He indicated with Ghana’s power demand increasing by 10% annually, government will put up the necessary policies to ensure sustainable, accessible, reliable and affordable electricity.

The CEO of Karpowership Orhan Remzi Karadeniz said the presence of the powership is the fulfillment of the obligation to ECG.

The new power barge is in fulfilment of a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The PPA, according to reports, requires Karadeniz to provide a total of 450 MW capacity of power and directly feed it into the national grid for 10 years.

“The 470 MW Powership will supply uninterrupted and reliable electricity at one of the lowest costs to Ghana for thermal power generation with its dual fuel engines and combined cycle power generation technology,” Karpowership Ghana Company Limited said in a statement in August this year

“The Powership will initially use low Sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) to generate electricity but the fuel will be converted to Natural Gas as soon as local Natural Gas supplies become available, ensuring cost savings for Ghana,” it added.

It assured that the operations of the powership will have a significant contribution to Ghana’s electricity supply “as the most reliable power plant in the country and create more employment opportunities”

Story: Adnan Adams Mohammed