President Akufo-Addo Commissions $47m Bulk Supply Point

On October 20, 2021, 4:15 PM

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, a 330/34.5 kilo-volt substation to provide quality and reliable supply and distribution of electricity for consumers in the northern areas of Accra.

The $47 million Supply Point, which was funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was commissioned on Wednesday, October 20, to meet the demands for electricity in the north-eastern parts of the Greater Accra Region as well as some parts of the Eastern Region.

The project was the fourth Bulk Supply Point in Accra, the first three 330kV Bulk Supply Point in the capital, and it is the most technologically advanced substation in Ghana.

The president explained that the siting of the BSP in Pokuase was informed by the “rapidly increasing load demand for electricity from this part of Accra, as Pokuase and its environs have become load points for power demand, hence being strategically positioned for the presence of such a critical power infrastructure.”

“The essence of constructing the sub-station is to improve power supply quality and reliability to some three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) existing customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Pokuase, Kwabenya, Legon, Nsawam and neighbouring communities,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo said that the coming on board of the 330kV Bulk Supply Point was a testimony of the government’s commitment to improving electricity supply in the country.

He continued, “it is also planned to reduce significantly technical losses in the Ghana Grid Company’s (GRIDCo) transmission system and the ECG power distribution system, ultimately contributing to improving their financial viability.”

Beyond the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, the President stated that the government was carrying out several other initiatives and projects to ensure that the country is able to meet its increasing power needs.

This increasing demand for power was due to the country’s growing population and the government’s industrial agenda, through initiatives such as the One-District-One-Factory policy, amongst others, the president said.

In a similar development, work was also ongoing on the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point, which would be the second-largest bulk supply point in Ghana, the president stated.

Once completed, he indicated that the project would address low voltage and frequent power outage challenges caused by increasing domestic and industrial demand in Kasoa, Senya Beraku, Bawjiase and Nyanyanu.

“The $50 million BSP project, again, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation under the Ghana Power Compact programme, will benefit some 241,508 ECG customers, and contribute to a substantial reduction in transmission losses in GRIDCo’s transmission system. The Kasoa project is expected to be completed before the end of this year,” the president noted.

He also stated that the national transmission backbone, under construction from the coast to Bolgatanga, had a gap between Kumasi and Kintampo, which has since been completed a few weeks ago.

“Completion of this portion of the Kumasi/Bolgatanga transmission line project will ease the load on Kumasi sub-stations, and become the instrument of power transmission within the Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions, and in parts of northern Ghana.

In addition to this is the ongoing Tema to Accra transmission line upgrade project to accommodate an increase from one hundred and sixty-one kilo-volts (161KV) capacity to three hundred and thirty kilo-volts (330KV) capacity,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo thanked the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the United States government for their continued support; MiDA for its effective oversight of the project; Elecnor S.A., the main contractors for the procurement, supply, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of the project; as well as management and staff of GRIDCo and ECG.

He also thanked the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and his predecessors for their leadership in helping to deliver this project.

President Akufo-Addo stated in conclusion that “the Akufo-Addo government remains fully committed to ensuring safe, stable and affordable power supply in this country.

As we focus on realising the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, which has industrialisation as its crown jewel, it is imperative that we pursue this goal with dogged determination, to help ensure that every nook and cranny of this country has access to electricity as the main driver of our vision.”

Story By Francis Ntow