President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated one out of the three turbines of the 400 megawatt capacity Bui Hydroelectricity dam, to add 133 megawatts to the national electricity grid.
The remaining two turbines, which would subsequently provide another 267 megawatts of electricity, would be completed and officially inaugurated before the end of the year.
President Mahama, in his inaugural address, gave the assurance that the government would work around the clock to ensure that the country enjoyed power in the next 20 years and beyond.
The project, which was initially estimated at $622 million, is now expected to be completed the total of $790 million, as a result of shortfalls recorded through economic upheavals and high cost of materials over the years.
Act 740 of 2007 established the Bui Power Authority to be responsible for the implementation of the Bui Hydroelectric project, executed by the Sinohydro Corporation of China, under an engineering procurement and construction date of April 19, 2007.
It was funded with a $263.5 million concessional loan from the Government of the People�s Republic of China, and a buyer�s credit of $298.5 million from the Chinese Export and Import Bank, with Ghana providing $60 million.
The main components of the Bui Power Project include the Roller Compacted concrete, gravity dam incorporating a five-bay spillway, three penstocks in the middle of the dam, a power house at the toe of the dam on the left bank, a switchyard, 238 kilometres of transmission lines, and a permanent bridge downstream of the dam.
Apart from serving as a hydroelectric dam, the project would also provide a potential 30,000 hectares of irrigable land for food and cash crop production, fishery and animal production that would create jobs for the teeming youth in the area and beyond.
President Mahama paid tribute to former presidents Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor for their initiative towards the establishment of the Bui Hydroelectric Dam, adding: �I must also commend the communities for their cooperation for the realisation of the project.�
He said the government would generate about 5,000 megawatts by the end of 2016, to meet both industrial and domestic demands for power, and urged consumers to be judicious in the use of energy to avert future power deficiencies.
The President said discussions were being held with a power producer to generate an additional 400 megawatts of power, and as soon as that was completed, work would commence.
He said economic growth hinged on electricity, and called on the public and private organisations to take advantage of the facility to increase production.
Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy, said the construction of the project was another measure the government had taken to make up for the current deficiencies in energy generation and power supply in the country.
He said apart from making efforts to build another hydroelectric dam at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region, the government would also develop solar and other alternative power generation to make Ghana self-sufficient in the commodity.
Mr. Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority, commended the contractors and workers for working assiduously to meet deadlines that would augment the generation of power throughout the country.
He also expressed the gratitude of government and the Authority to the 1,216 people who had to be relocated to pave way for the construction of the project.
Mr. Gong Jian Zhong, China Ambassador to Ghana, said the completion of the project further strengthened the relations between Ghana and China, and would prepare the grounds for further collaborations that would bring mutual benefits.
President Mahama later switched on a substation constructed by Ghana Grid Company at Kintampo to serve under the Techiman-Buipe-Tamale transmission line to increase accessibility of electricity to communities in the catchment areas.
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