April promise of emergency power barges can’t be realized – GRIDCo

Government’s promise of delivering two emergency power barges in April to mitigate the biting effect of loadshedding cannot be realized, an officer of GRIDCo has said.

Minister of Power Dr Kwabena Donkor promised in February that two barges from Turkey will be available by April to add 450 megawatts (MW) to the national grid to ease the ongoing power crisis.

But speaking to TV3’s Sandra Amarquaye on Wednesday, April 1, Ghana Grid Company’s Systems Control Manager Frank Otchere said: “The expectation for [the barges] to come in April have largely not been able to be realized because of challenges that have come.”

Mr Otchere, however, acknowledged that the Ministry of Power is leading frantic efforts to get the barges in Ghana.

“Securing these power plants takes a lot of activities here and there,” he indicated.

“Typically, it will take three to four years for a plant to come and, so, we making the effort to bring it within such a short time definitely will take a lot of effort.”

TV3 gathers the $100 million barges are currently in Turkey yet to be freighted to Accra.

Mr Otchere hinted that the current loadshedding may run into the final quarter of the year, by which time government promises to end the crisis.