Kpone thermal plant on course

The main foundation works which would pave way for the assembling of the gas turbine generators and other auxiliary components at the Kpone Thermal Power Plant (KTPP) is nearing completion.

The 220 Megawatts (MW) plant being constructed by Zakhem International Ltd, the main contractor for the Volta River Authority (VRA), is expected to be completed in 12 months.

Mr Francis Agbenyo, Project Manager of KTPP, disclosed this during a tour by the media to the KPTT project site at Kpone in the Greater Accra Region on Wednesday.

The visit, organised by the Corporate Communications Unit of the VRA, was to engage its stakeholders, especially the media, on VRA’s ongoing projects in the country.

Some of the other VRA operational areas visited include the Tema Thermal Plant Complex (TTPC), Kpong Generation Station (KGS) and the Akosombo Generation Station (AGS).

Mr Agbenyo said the KPTT when completed, would deliver 220MW power to the national grid by the last quarter of 2014.

He explained that the key stages for the erection of a mechanical plant involved the pouring of concrete at the gas turbine generator foundations, moving of the gas turbine generators from the VRA warehouse to the site and then the assembling of the whole thermal plant.

He said the basic fuel for the new plant would be gas from the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) with diesel fuel being the back-up fuel.

Mr Agbenyo said that all the component parts which would be used for the construction of the new plant had been awarded on contract.

He said the project which would cost $200 million, was being funded from the VRA’s own funds at €2 million a month.

He noted the VRA had also secured a bank facility from Fidelity Bank to cushion its cash flow.

At the TTPC, Mr Darlington Ahunble, Maintenance Manager, announced that the 80MW Mines Reserve Plant was undergoing plant fuel conversion to enable it to use both diesel and gas fuels.

He said the upgrading of the plant would cost $11.6 million and that it was expected to be completed in five months.

He said the major challenge facing the TTPC was pollution from other industries which were located close to the complex and which clogged the air filters of the plants.

At the Kpong Generation Station, Mr Johnson Hlordjie, Plant Manager, said the VRA was planning to retrofit the plant to bring it into a new state after 30 years of operation.

He said the Authority had already engaged the services of a consultant and also signed agreement with the contractor who would undertake the retrofitting.

He said the project which was being funded by Alliance Français D’evelopment at a cost of €36 million with a counterpart funding of $2million and ₵4 million respectively, was expected to be completed in four years.

Mr Hlordjie said even though the VRA had signed an agreement with the contractor, it would take them one year to prepare and duly manufacture the component parts which would be used for the retrofitting.

At the Akosombo Generating Station, Mr Anane Benfoh, Operating Engineer, explained that the VRA had installed new digital machines at the Control Room which gave accurate readings compared to the analog system.

He said the new digital machines would help the Authority to ensure efficiency in generating power.

Source: GNA/Ghana