An elated Minister of Power Dr Kwabena Donkor has reiterated to Ghanaians not to expect an absolute end to the power crisis in Ghana with the arrival of the Karpowership.
The power barge docked at the Tema Harbour Saturday evening, and at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday, Dr Donkor said the ship, which is about the size of a football pitch and the height of a three-storey building, will ease the load shedding.
“Let me say that the arrival of this barge will not solve all our problems,” Dr Donkor, who has promised to end what has now become known as ‘dumsor’ by the close of 2015, told a gathering.
“It will make a contribution. As we speak the 250MW power project at Aboadze is also proceeding and indeed that is even bigger than the Karpowership… the KTPP Plant 220 MW is also at completion stage and TICO 120MW steam expansion has been completed. TAPCO has gone through the full combine cycle and a lot is happening in the sector. We do ourselves and Ghana a disservice when we focus only on the power barge,” he added.
Dr Donkor was full of praise for the Minister of Petroleum Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, whose tenure at the Energy Ministry, initiated the 225MW project from Turkey.
“This is only a welcoming ceremony. There is a lot of work to be done to connect the barge to the national grid and also completing some paper work.
“I would want to take this opportunity to mention one particular person without whose leadership and dynamism this will never have come into place – the Minister of Petroleum who initiated this project.”
He added: “It is all to the benefit of Ghana. We want to thank Karpowership. We have gone through a year or more of serious challenges…
“It is better late than never. At least it has arrived. Those who felt it will never arrive at least will take consolation in the fact that when government says it will deliver, it delivers.”
The power barge is expected to be connected to the national grid in a week’s time and it is the first in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Ghana/starrfmonline
