In a bid to tackle voltage and power quality challenges in Kumasi and the northern regions of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo is scheduled to commission the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Project on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) says this project will significantly enhance system voltages, leading to improved overall system stability.
The commissioning ceremony, set to take place at Anwomaso Kumasi, will witness the presence of key dignitaries including Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and CEO of the VRA, Ing. Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa.
In a statement released by the Volta River Authority (VRA), it highlighted the significance of the upcoming commissioning of the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Project. This development follows a grid impact study conducted by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), which emphasized the necessity of at least 250MW of additional power generation in the Ashanti Region to uphold reliability and stability within the national grid.
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Furthermore, the VRA underscores the strategic placement of a power plant in Kumasi, affirming that it will enhance the delivery of quality and dependable electricity to consumers in the middle and northern regions of Ghana.
Additionally, the VRA underscores that the project aims to efficiently optimize the utilization of a strategic national asset. Moreover, it will facilitate the effective utilization of gas resources primarily concentrated in the western region of Ghana, while generating employment opportunities for residents of Kumasi and its surrounding areas.
Furthermore, the VRA brief highlights the project’s potential to create opportunities for practical training in thermal power operations for students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi Technical University and other educational institutions. This initiative is anticipated to significantly reduce system transmission losses by an estimated 30MW.
The Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Project came into being after the expiration of the BOOT agreement between Ameri Energy Limited and the Government of Ghana on the erstwhile Ameri power plant.
In 2022, the plant was handed over to the GOG and subsequently transferred to the VRA.
The Ministry of Energy together with the VRA took a strategic decision to relocate the plant to Kumasi and since then, the project has been named the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Project and funded entirely from the VRA’s internally generated funds.
The project is being executed in two phases; the first phase, which is being commissioned on Wednesday, commenced in May 2023 and involved the relocation of the first six (6) TM2500 units with a total generation capacity of 150MW. The second phase will be completed in June 2024, to increase the plant’s capacity from the 150 MW to 250 MW. The project is being executed by VRA’s in-house team of engineers, with support from some selected service providers.