President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that the Volta River Authority (VRA) funded the construction of the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant in Anwomaso, Ashanti Region, formerly known as the AMERI power plants.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Wednesday, April 17, where the African and Middle East Resources Investment (AMERI) Group officially handed over the 10-unit power plants to the government of Ghana after a five-year “built, own, operate, and transfer” agreement.
The decision to relocate the thermal power plants to their current location was made by VRA to address the issue of erratic power supply in the Ashanti Region. President Akufo-Addo emphasized that VRA provided all the necessary funds for the construction, including land acquisition, permits, licences, environmental and social impact studies, civil works, and commissioning of the plant.
During his speech at the commissioning ceremony, President Akufo-Addo praised VRA for showcasing the capabilities of Ghanaian engineers from a publicly-owned institution in finding engineering solutions to contribute to national development. He also commended the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), and the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) for their contributions to the successful completion of the project.
Energy expert Nana Amoasi noted that relocating the power plants will help reduce production costs for transmitting power from the southern belt to the northern and middle belts of the country. However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised concerns about the government allegedly spending around US$35 million on the relocation of the power plants to Anwomaso.
Overall, the commissioning of the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s energy sector, with the involvement of local engineers and collaboration between various stakeholders to enhance the country’s power generation capabilities.
