Former Power Minister and NDC MP for Pru East, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, stated that relocating the Ameri power plant doesn’t boost power generation but serves other strategic purposes.
He mentioned that moving the Ameri plant is crucial for stabilizing the grid and reducing GRIDCo’s transmission losses.
Dr. Donkor noted during an interview on News File on April 20 that, in 2014, the National Democratic Congress government planned to position power generation in the middle belt of the country, but fuel was a major challenge.
The former Power Minister mentioned the advantage of having power generation in the middle corridor. Dr. Donkor also highlighted that the power transmission company, GRIDCo, owes the Volta River Authority (VRA) because transmission losses exceed the limits set by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
He mentioned that moving the generation closer to a market helps limit transmission losses.
What he said:
“A gas pipeline had gotten to Prestea, but there wasn’t a gas pipeline to Kumasi and therefore a physical relocation at that time would not have made sense without fuel. Fortunately, unfortunately, the people of Ghana decided that we should leave the scene so there was a truncation of the process. Other than that, generation in the middle corridor would have happened earlier,”
“It also helps stabilize the grid. You see, there is a certain balance that the grid must have. If there is a situation where until now we have the Eastern and Western corridors in terms of generation and even then there is a delicate balance, you cannot over-generate from one corridor with nothing coming from the other. The grid will trip.”
“The initial interconnected transmission system, there is a certain balance needed. So having generation in the central corridor will help that,”
The NDC has expressed significant concerns about the cost of relocating the plant and renaming it. This is despite the fact that while in opposition, the NPP originally opposed acquiring the plant.
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