Asogli resolves to make Ghana exporter of power
The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has expressed his resolve to make Ghana a net exporter of power in the West African sub-region.
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Speaking at a dinner for staff of the Sunon Asogli Power Company at his residence, he said in spite of the problems encountered by the Asogli plant, he was determined to invest more, with the assistance of foreign partners, in the power sector of the country.
Present at the dinner were a Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr John Jinapor; a former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwame Peprah; the Chairman of Shenzen Energy of China, Mr Cao Hong, and Mr Lee Xiao Hai, the Chinese who supervised the construction of the Asogli Power Plant.
Togbe Afede said the Asogli Power Plant had initiated moves to increase its generation capacity by 360 megawatts by the end of next year, a move which would see the plant operate at its full capacity of 560 megawatts.
He added that Shenzen Energy had also decided to support the construction and operation of a 700-megawatt coal fired plant which is likely to be constructed in Takoradi.
The plant would import coal from South Africa for its operations, he added.
Construction of the plant, he said, would begin by the end of next year and would take two years to complete.
“This will make Ghana the only country south of the Sahara to operate a coal plant apart from South Africa,” he said.
The expansion of the Asogli Power Plant, according to him, would cost $360 million, while the coal plant would cost $700 million.
Mr Hong said the Ghanaian economy was a fast-growing one which needed a lot of energy and the country needed to invest adequately in that area.
He said he was glad that President John Mahama had given his support to the development of the energy sector and added that Ghana was a good place to do business and had investor-friendly policies.
The news that gas would soon be available from Nigeria, he said, was a good one which would ensure that the Asogli Plant operated at full capacity.
Mr Hai said very soon more than 12 per cent of the power produced by the Electricity Company of Ghana would be supplied by the Asogli Power Plant.
His company, he said, had many more projects to execute in Ghana.
By Mark-Anthony Vinorkor