Generate 750 Megawatts Of Electricity By End Of Yr – Prez Mahama Directs Power Minister

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister of power to bring in power barges to generate 750 megawatts of electricity by the end of the year.

This forms part of measures to deal with the erratic power supply in the country. Currently the Akosombo dam is at its lowest of 245 point- one six feet due to erratic and low rainfall into the dam over the past two years.

This has forced the shutdown of two units with only four units generating 558 point nine megawatts of electricity.

As a result, the Akuse Hydro Generating Station which receives its water inflows from the Akosombo dam, is also operating two units instead of four and thereby generating 79 megawatts instead of its maximum capacity of 160 megawatts.

President Mahama who visited the dam today/yesterday to assess the situation said government is considering thermal generation of power as the major alternative to end the power crises.

President Mahama’s visit to the Akosombo Hydro Generation station was a follow up on his working visit to the Kpone Thermal Plant on Tuesday.

Briefing the President, the Director of Engineering Services Dept of VRA, William Sam Appiah assured President Mahama that the engineers will continue to manage the situation until the water level improves from August and also most of the Thermal plants come on stream to complement their effort.

President Mahama who was conducted round the water intake point of the dam and the monitoring section was convinced that Thermal generation of powers is the way to go in the satisfying power needs of the country.

He appealed to Ghanaians to take energy conservation seriously. The President was accompanied by the Minister of power, Dr Kwabena Donkor.


Source: GBC