Minority’s Call For Ameri Plant Transfer To VRA For Relocation Project – NAPO Exposes Hypocrisy

Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has described calls by the Minority in Parliament for the transfer of the Ameri plant to VRA for the government’s relocation project as double standards.

Answering a question on the floor of Parliament on Friday morning, Dr Prempeh quizzed why in 2016 the NDC saw it fit to get Metka/Mytilineos to run the plant with VRA until Mytilineos was fully paid.

The matter comes on the back of current negotiations between the VRA and Mytilineos S A, the parent company of MEKTA for the relocation of the Ameri Plant to Kumasi.

The Minister who is also MP for Manhyia south argued that Mytilineos was selected because they operated and maintained the machines for 6 years and therefore are conversant and have firsthand experience with the technology of the Ameri plant and its operation.

Dr Prempeh expressed the belief that with this background, it is only appropriate that Mytilineos is allowed to run the plant.

He, therefore, said the minority calls are entirely misplaced.

Background

As far back as 10 years ago, GRIDCo did extensive studies on the national grid and concluded that a power plant needed to be located at Kumasi. This was necessary to strengthen the grid to help solve the chronic low voltage problem in that part of the country.

On the expiration of the Ameri BOOT Contract in January 2021, the government of Ghana took the policy decision to relocate the Ameri plant to Kumasi based on the recommendations of the GRIDCo study.

The Ministry, therefore, initiated the project to relocate the 250MW Ameri Power Plant from Aboadze to Kumasi to strengthen the national grid and also eliminate recent power system disturbances experienced in the northern transmission network.
 

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana