One of the power ships which is expected to augment the country’s energy supply will arrive in the country from Turkey by the third week of November.
Power produced by the ship is anticipated to be incorporated into the national grid by the first week of December.
The Head of Public Relations of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Mr Albert Quainooo, stated this at a workshop for selected journalists at Ada last Saturday.
Organised by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the workshop was to apprise journalists of the country’s power situation and the proposals submitted by utility companies for an increase in tariffs for the last quarter of 2015.
Mr Quainooo said currently, the construction of transmission lines for the power ship, which will generate 225 megawatts of power, was ongoing.
He said the ship would berth at a point in the sea close to the Tema Harbour and added that the transmission lines for the ship would be submerged in the sea.
Background
The government, last year, signed an agreement with Messrs Karadenic Power Group and Karpowership of Turkey for the provision of 450 megawatts of power to help alleviate the power crisis faced by the country.
Power ships are power-generating machines moulded in the form of ships which float on the sea. They sail just like ships and produce power with crude oil or natural gas.
Ships tested
Mr. Quainooo said the ship had been tested and was ready to set sail to Ghana.
“Its engines have been fired and are working perfectly. Arrangements for its arrival have been fast-tracked,” he added.
He indicated that a vessel to provide fuel for the operation of the ship would be positioned close to the berthing point on a temporary basis, while “permanent” tanks are built later to hold the fuel.
He said the ship would run on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), adding that the fuelling would be done by a company called Trafigura.
A bank guarantee for the ship, he said, had been provided by ECOBANK.
Source: Graphic