Dr. Ezekial Agyemang-Obeng, a National Communication Team Member for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has explained the reasoning behind the party’s decision to rename the AMERI Power Plant to the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant.
According to Dr. Agyemang-Obeng, the renaming was not an act of malice as claimed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but rather a move to align with the traditional practice of naming power plants after their geographical locations.
During an interview on Yen Nsempa, Onua FM, Dr. Agyemang-Obeng emphasized that historically, power plants have always been named based on their surroundings, such as the Kpong Thermal Plant in Kpong and the Tema Thermal Plant in Tema. He pointed out that the term “AMERI” is associated with controversial intermediaries in the energy sector, making it unsuitable as a namesake for a power plant.
Dr. Agyemang-Obeng clarified that the decision to rename the plant was not intended to discredit the NDC or its flagbearer John Mahama, but simply to follow the naming conventions of power facilities. However, the renaming has faced criticism from the NDC, who accuse President Akufo-Addo’s administration of making an unrealistic and costly decision by relocating the plant to Anwomaso in the Ashanti Region.
The AMERI Power Plant was originally procured in 2015 under a build-own-operate and transfer arrangement to generate 250 megawatts of power for Ghana. As per the agreement, Ghana was expected to take full ownership of the plant after paying $510 million within five years.
The NDC claims that the decision to relocate the plant to Kumasi involves a $35 million investment, which they argue is unnecessary.
