Akufo-Addo Commissions 515 MW Power Plant At Kpone, Assures Ghanaians Of Stable Power Supply

• President Akufo-Addo has commissioned a 515-megawatt power plant to ease the intermittent power supply challenges in the country
• Akufo-Addo noted that the $1.2 billion Ghana Bridge Power Project at Kpone would help end the power crisis in the country
• He also assured stakeholders that the energy sector debt crisis would also be addressed soon

President Akufo-Addo said he is confident Ghana’s intermittent power supply challenges will be resolved soon.

He said this at the unveiling of a 515-megawatt power plant under the $1.2 billion Ghana Bridge Power Project at Kpone near Tema.

During the plant's commissioning on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Akufo-Addo noted that the project would boost energy production in the country and end the power crisis once and for all.

The power plant, owned by US-based Endeavour Energy, will supply power to the Electricity Company of Ghana under a 25-year agreement.

Akufo-Addo, highlighting the devastation the erstwhile dumsor era had brought on the socio-economic lives of Ghanaians during the Mahama era, explained that it was for this reason his government had facilitated major investments into the country’s energy and power sector.

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He said his administration was committed to providing Ghanaians with a stable energy supply hence the fortification of Ghana’s energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has assured stakeholders that his government will sooner rather than later address the energy sector debt owed to Independent Power Producers to restore confidence in the sector.

Sunon Asogli shutdown over debt

Independent power producer Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited has shut down its 560MW power plant due to the failure of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to settle overdue debt payments.

According to Sunon Asogli, the debt situation has left it unable to fund operations any further, hence the decision to shut down.

The company stated in a statement on October 16, 2024, that ECG owed it $259 million minus fuel as of September 30, 2024.

Sunon Asogli said the huge debt was excluding the company's decision not to invoice ECG for idle capacity.

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The company explained that its debt increased by 23% from January 2024 to September 2024.

It added that only 22.6% of the invoices for that period had been settled through the Cash Waterfall Mechanism, and the remainder had accumulated.

Minority accuses govt of signing dubious deals

YEN.com.gh reported that John Jinapor, the Ranking Member on Parliament's Energy Committee, has warned that Ghana's energy sector is on the verge of collapse.

He claimed the Akufo-Addo-led government had forced the Ghana Gas Company to sign dubious contracts, contributing to the power shortfall.

Jinapor said that the government had also failed to fulfil its financial obligations to Tullow and other independent power suppliers.

Proofread by Samuel Gitonga, Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh