President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has hinted that a total of one thousand, four hundred and thirty-six (1,436) communities have been connected to the national grid under the National Electrification Scheme.
This, he said, has increased the national electricity access rate to 85.17% as at October 2020 though his ambition was that, by the end of his term, the figure will be one hundred percent (100%).
Delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament, President Akufo-Addo stressed that the Government has improved the financial sustainability of the energy sector through several interventions, including paying up the energy legacy debts.
He said negotiations were on going with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) on the terms of whose contracts entailed substantial financial charges on the state, and should be completed by the end of the year to give a more affordable cost of power for the Ghanaian people.
He mentioned that the National Energy Policy, 2020, has been completed to improve the framework and strategies to meet contemporary energy needs of the country.
Meanwhile, he said the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has accelerated petroleum exploration activities in the inland Voltaian Basin as it has successfully acquired and processed two thousand, five hundred and thirty-eight (2,538) line kilometers of 2D seismic data, analysed one thousand, five hundred and thirty-seven (1,537) geochemical samples, and established a working petroleum system.
According to him, a gas processing plant-train is being constructed in the Western Region to complement the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, so as to increase dry gas delivery for power and non-power users.
The Takoradi portion of the Takoradi-Tema Interconnection Project (TTIP) has also been completed with an increased capacity of gas exports from Takoradi to Tema, through the West African Gas Pipeline.
He said GNPC and its private sector partners have advanced the work on the Tema LNG project, Sub-Saharan Africa’s first LNG regasification terminal, which is expected to come on stream in the course of the year to improve gas supply reliability for power and non-power industrial applications.
President Akufo-Addo pointed out that the facility will also become a hub for regional energy security, ensuring low cost fuel for both Ghana and her partners in the ECOWAS Region.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
