Gas project halted by Court injunction

The leaders of three communities where the Gas plant is located on Tuesday have declared their support for Awulae Panyinle Amihere, Omanhene of Eastern Nzema for placing a court injunction on the construction of the plant.

The plant is situated at Atuabo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

The leaders said the management of the company is taking them for a ride by failing to properly negotiate for the acreage of land acquired for the project.

Spokespersons, Awonyi Mensah Robert, Tufuhene of Anokye and Nana Bonsah 111, Obaahema of Atuabo said at news conference that since Dr George Sipa Yankey, Chief Executive of the Gas Company visited the traditional council with bottles of Schnapps to ask for land two years ago; little had been done and achieved in terms of negotiations and documentation on the many acreage of land lease out for the project.

The Tufuhene said described the action of the company as disgusting and lack of respect for the people and leadership of the three communities and the traditional council as a whole.

He said many attempts by the traditional authority to get the leadership of the company to negitiate had failed adding, “We have called about four to five meetings and the management of Ghana Gas had failed to attend any.”

The community leadership also wants to know from the management of the company future development plans, issues of environmental safety, and where to turn to in case of emergency.

Awonyi Robert complained that the company had sidelined the indigenes the area of employment adding that even drivers are employed from out of the communities. The Atuabo gas project when completed could solve half of Ghana’s energy crisis since the Aboadze Thermal Plant would feed on it for additional power generation.