President Nana Akufo-Addo will on Friday, November 29, 2019 cut sod for the construction of the $750m Pwalugu multipurpose dam in the Upper East region to begin.

According to a press release issued by the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and seen by MyNewsGh.com, the $750m project will provide 60 megawatts of hydro-electricity and 50 megawatts of solar power to stabilise power supply in northern Ghana, develop a 25,000 hectares irrigation scheme for Agriculture and control flood along the White Volta River in the region.

Construction of the dam, which has been on the drawing board since independence, has become imperative due to the annual floods and deaths that occur in the areas that are within the flow-way of the Bagre Dam from upstream Burkina Faso.

MyNewsGh.com has gathered that when completed, the multipurpose Pwalugu dam will have an elevation of 165M near the Pwalugu Bridge on the White Volta River and with a maximum reservoir area of 350 KM2. The project will also have a powerhouse consisting of two turbines with 60MW of installed capacity and 16.5MW of firm continuous capacity as well as, a 15-KM overhead line for export of power to an existing transmission line.

It will also come with a twenty-five-thousand-hectare irrigation scheme— the country’s biggest bulk so far, according to experts— which will boost annual rice production by up to 117,000 tonnes and maize by up to 49,000 tonnes in Ghana. Included in the anticipated production boost are other crops like tomatoes, sugar, sweet potato, sweet pepper, and onions.

A high-powered government delegation would accompany the President to break grounds for works to commence.

A representative from the Chinese Embassy would also be present at the anticipated event.