Energy Minister Frets �Over Failed Power Barge Promises

Dr. Kwabena Donkor, Minister of Power who early this year promised to lay down his tools if the prevailing energy crisis was not solved by December, 2015, is said to be reeling under immense pressure after it became clear that the delivery of emergency barges from Turkey has for the second time failed to materialize. Government in February announced that it was bringing in Turkish company, Karpower, to provide two barges each generating 450megawatts to bridge Ghana�s deficit of about a 1000megawatts and said the first delivery would be in. The April promise turned out to be a fiasco. Dr. Donkor again promised that the barge would be delivered in September but the story was not different from that of the April promise which has incensed many Ghanaians whose businesses have collapsed as a result of dumsor. Now, the delivery date has again been shifted to October with power generation likely to commence in November, which a source said has left the Power Minister clueless on what else to tell the populace. With a total generation power of 450 megawatts, the barges were envisaged to significantly improve years of erratic power supply in the country. �The Minister is still convinced that there are still some saboteurs within the government whose actions are militating against the delivery of the barges�, a source at the Power Ministry told this paper. It would be recalled that in February this year, Dr. Donkor after vowing to resign in December should dumsor still persist, disclosed that he was aware of the plans of his detractors. �I made the promise and I will deliver by the grace of God. I know there is going to be detraction. We are already aware, that some destructive moves are being planned but that will not discourage me,� the Minister said in an interview with Accra based radio station, Starr FM. �Hold me to my word that by the end of this year, load shedding will not be over but we'll ensure that load shedding will not reoccur as it happened in the past,� Dr Donkor reiterated. The two successive failures to deliver the barges and the new date set exonerate the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) which punched holes into the Government�s promise to bring in 450megawatts from Turkey by April, insisting that a December deadline was more likely. �It will take about six months to do preparation for operation of the barges�and so if the Minister is promising to bring in the barges by April, I have my doubts�.when the site has not even been prepared�, Dr. Adam said in February� Meanwhile, the CEO of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Alex Mould has debunked allegations that the power barges expected from Turkey may not come because guarantees have not been provided for them; saying the first one, which is expected in October, has been guaranteed and that a bank is being spoken to on the second one. �Ecobank is the bank that issued the first guarantee and a bank is being spoken to right now regarding the second. There are discussions between ECG and Karpower on the second barge. When they finish that we will issue the guarantee. My understanding is that the first barge will be completed in the first or second week of September; they will do the final test by third-party inspectors to make sure everything is okay and then it will sail,� he said. In an interaction with a section of the media, the GNPC Boss muddied the waters by disclosing that �I think it will take about 30 or 40 days to arrive here; I am not too sure. I understand it will sail in September and arrive in October. So don�t quote me as saying October first, I said sometime in October.�