President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated a 580 Mega Voltage Amp (MVA) power sub-station at Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region to serve communities in the northern part of the region.
Communities to benefit are Ofankor, Kwabenya, Nsawam, Achimota, Anyaa, Sowutuom, Kwabenya, Ashongman, Legon, Haatso, Agbogba, Adenta, and Aburi in the Eastern Region.
The US$64.72 million project, expected to benefit about 350,000 households and businesses, forms part of the Ghana Power Compact funded by the United States government through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
President Akufo-Addo, at the inaugural ceremony of the project, expressed optimism that the facility would increase the reliability of power supply to homes, businesses and industrial plants
The facility, he said, was the largest Bulk Supply Point substation and the most technologically advanced in the country.
“The facility will reduce transmission and distribution losses, and improve the financial viabilities of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDco) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG),” he said.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “electricity is no longer a luxury but rather a basic necessity” and pledged the government’s commitment to achieve universal coverage to spur economic growth.
He said the substation had been strategically positioned to cater for the increasing load demand for electricity in the northern parts of Accra and pointed out that the government was carrying out several initiatives to meet the increasing power needs rising out of population growth
He pledged the government’s commitment to ensure safe, stable and affordable power supply in the country.
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan said the substation represents sustainable infrastructure investment by the United States with Ghana “that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians now and into the future.”
“It will help deliver more reliable power to people, places, and businesses of Accra that drive increased economic activity benefitting families, businesses, and communities,” she said.
The Member of Parliament of Trobu Constituency, Moses Anim, said the project would not only provide stable and reliable power supply but also reduce the cost of utility tariffs consumers pay.
He said the technical losses which would be saved due to the advance nature of the substation meant that the cost of technical losses on electricity bills would be low
“Also, there would be no power fluctuations to affect our domestic appliances. We shall save the monies we used to change our domestic appliances frequently due to power fluctuations,” he said.
BY YAW KYEI AND AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
