Second power barge to arrive in September

Ghana’s second emergency power barge will arrive in the country by the end of September 2016.

The construction of the Karpowership which has a production capacity of 225 megawatts of power is about 70 percent complete.

Government, in the midst of the power crises last year, signed an agreement with a Turkish company to deliver 450 megawatts of power to help meet the energy deficit.

The first of the two barges arrived in November 2015 and has contributed largely to the current stability in the supply of electricity.

But policy think tank, Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) says government does not need the second barge.

Deputy Executive Director of ACEP, Benjamin Boakye in an interview with Starr News said government should take advantage of the power stability to renegotiate or terminate some power contracts.

“Most of those emergency power plants were supposed to have been delivered between three and six months, so if after seven to eight months those plants have not been delivered, clearly it tells you that we are not following the timelines.

“Therefore at this stage where the power has stabilized, we may not even need the emergency power plants which are coming at a cost…and that is why we are calling on government to abrogate those contracts for not delivering on time,” Mr. Boakye said.