Accra (Greater Accra) 30 March '99

The Ministry of Mines and Energy on Tuesday said it is looking for a foreign consultant for constructional work to begin on phase two of the 185 million dollars Tema Oil Refinery Project. Mr Isaac Tagoe, Director of Petroleum, announced this when briefing a 14-member Korean business delegation which is in the country to explore areas of investment, especially in construction and energy sectors. Mr Tagoe said preliminary designs for the project which involves installation of a plant to process petroleum products for an added value is completed and a Korean firm, S.K Engineering is yet to begin construction. He said the project for which an agreement has already been signed between Ghana and Korea for funding will take 35 months to be completed. Mrs Veronica Wiredu, Chief Director of the Ministry, who led the briefing said the government welcomes funding for its rural electrification project to extend transmission lines from the district headquarters to the villages. Ghana was prepared to co-operate with investors especially in the energy sector in view of the periodic drought which affects the nation's hydro-electric supply. The delegation later called at the Volta River Authority where they were briefed by Mr Gilbert Dokyi, the chief Executive.