New Power Sub-station for Accra

BY JOEL EVANS OWUSU Accra (Greater Accra), 26 Nov. '98 -- A new power sub-station to supplement the needs of the ever increasing population of Accra is to be constructed soon.

Contracts to this effect were today signed between the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on one hand and ABB Trasformatori of Italy, Samsung of South Korea, and Norelec Energie, of France, on the other.

Mr. Musa Badimsugru Adam Managing Director of ECG, and Mr. G.O. Dokyi, Chief Executive of VRA, signed for their companies, while Mr Shafik Raafat and Graff Stephane initialed for ABB and NORELEC, respectively. Samsung was not represented at the signing ceremony.

The station, to act as the second Bulk Supply Point (BSP) after the Achimota sub-station, will be situated at Mallam, near Accra, and will have two sides an ECG 33kv switchgear/control room and VRA equipment yard.

According to Mr. Adam, Accra's annual growth rate of energy demand is 10% which puts great stress on the Achimota station.

He said the construction of the new station will result in increased reliability of supply, reduced technical losses, and cut down on Voltage drops on the feeders. It will also increase flexibility and load transfers within the 33KV network.

Mr Adam said separate studies by a combined ECG and VRA team, and the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland confirmed the project to be both technically and economically feasible.

ECG signed three different components of the contract totalling 2.6 million dollars. These are: 647,000dollars for the supply of 33KV by Crompton Greares of India, and 613,000 dollars for the supply of 33KV Power Cables Costing by Samsung corporation of South Korea. Both equipment are to be supplied within 10 months of siging of the contract.

The third is 8,360,000 French Franc with a 705.7 million Cedi for the installation of the equipment.

VRA's contracts include 1.2 million dollars for the supply of power transformers by ABB Transformatori, Italy, to bedelivered within 12 months of contract signing.

The second is 146,000 dollars for the supply of circuit breakers at within eight months by Norelec, Energie of France.

Norelec is also expected to provide 9.3 million French Franc and a cedi equivalent of 832 million cedis for civil works and electro-mechanical erections within 13 months of signing of contract. GRi