Government Signs MoU For More Power Generation

The government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with General Electric for the construction of thermal plants to produce 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power in the country. The first phase of the project is the construction of a 350MW-capacity thermal plant. A Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Felix Ofosu Kwakye, told journalists at the Flagstaff House yesterday that the technical details and locations of the plants were still being discussed and added that the financial arrangement for the public-private partnership project was being concluded. "Issues related to financing of the project have almost been completed. Once that is done, there will be no impediment on their way in terms of execution," he said. Mr Ofosu Kwakye said another power company, Sern Power, was to set up a power plant in Tema to produce 330 MW and added that work on the project was expected to start this year and would be completed by 2015. The projects, he also indicated, were part of the government's efforts to generate 5,000 MW by 2015. Infrastructure The deputy minister said the construction of the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle was an important milestone in the government's effort to provide the requisite infrastructure in the country. He noted that other road projects would be executed throughout the country to improve road infrastructure, and therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to bear with the government. On the health sector, Mr Ofosu Kwakye said work on the 600-bed medical facility at the Ridge Hospital had started. He said by the end of this year, President Mahama would cut the sod for the construction of 200 community day senior high schools. CDB The deputy minister said all the issues surrounding the $3billion China Development Bank (CDB) loan facility had been resolved. "What the government has to do in order to access it has been done," he said. Mr Ofosu Kwakye also indicated that unlike previous times when there was no specific use for the loans, "this time, we went into this negotiation fully aware of what we wanted to do."