News:
July 30, 2013
The opposition New Patriotic Party has described the energy sector as one in crises and so riddled with corruption, ineffeciency, self-interest and misguided policies that has become a drag on the economic transformation of Ghana.
According to the party, it is obvious that under the NDC government, the energy sector of Ghana has clearly become unfit for purpose and in need of a massive outbreak of sanity.
Addressing a press briefing in Accra, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy, Hon. K.T Hammond stated that the Takoradi 3 Thermal plant had not produced absolutely no power whatsoever since about May, only a few weeks after the plant had been commissioned.
He said right at the outset of the construction of the plant, the Canadian contractors expressed concern over the VRA’s ability to handle efficiently the new generation of gas turbines which were to be installed.
Hon. Hammond stated that these were manufactured by Mashproekt and of a different class from the GE turbines which VRA is used to. The contractors had therefore requested that VRA entered into a technical support agreement with them to train its workers to be able to handle the equipment efficiently, however this was never done and as at now no such agreement had been signed.
” Thus with absolutely no idea on how to handle them the turbines promptly broke down when operation was handed over to VRA. As we speak, a massive blame war has broken out between the contractors and VRA and they cannot even decide on a neutral contractor to determine what went wrong. The Takoradi 3 sits idle and generates nothing, while we sleep in darkness and manufacturing is folding up. And this plant was built at a cost of US$ 245.3 million, the original contract price of US$ 186.3 million having been varied by the NDC government by a further US$ 60 million” he noted.
Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh