The Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu, has expressed satisfaction with Karpowership’s readiness to meet the 17-day planned schedule to commence power generation from its new location at the Sekondi Naval Base.
The Minister who was speaking during a tour of the Karpowership and other ancillary installations however cautioned contractors who are to ensure first gas for the Karpowership by September to expedite work to avoid delays.
The Minister’s caution follows difficulties by one of the contractors, Amandi, to access the Ghana Gas Transmission, Regulatory and Metering Station (TRMS) constructed by ENI due to handing over issues leading to some delays.
Within just five days, the Karpowership anchored at the Sekondi Naval Base after arriving from Tema to be powered with gas.
It is already connected to the national grid and expected to start generation of power soon.
Mr. Amewu, together with officials of Ghana Gas, ENI and Amandi inspected ongoing works on the about 11-kilometre gas pipeline to transmit gas from the Aboadze Thermal enclave to the Naval Base where the Karpowership sits.
Mr. Amewu who then continued to the Karpowership barge to see the progress of work expressed satisfaction with work done so far.
“This project is about five different phases, thus the pipeline construction, the construction of the transmission lines, the Transmission, Regulatory and Metering Station (TRMS) and the Onshore Terminal Station (OTS) and then the Karpowership installation. It is quite a complicated project but what is good is that finally the Karpowership is here in Sekondi and a lot of work has so far been done and so I want to congratulate Karpowership and the various contractors including Amandi which has played a very critical role”, he said.
The Energy Minister who was not happy with handing over misunderstandings between Ghana Gas and ENI urged the various players who are to ensure first gas to do so or face the consequences.
“There have been some few problems of little delays in terms of having the first gas. Now that the Karpowership is available here, we need to quickly connect with the first gas. It is currently going to feed on heavy fuel for some short period, but the quicker you are able to supply it with gas, the better it would be for us. The pipelines for the gas has been completed, the transmission lines are in place, but at the OTS, there are certain things that need to be done where the gas would have to be retreated in terms of heating and bringing the pressure down. So all these would be investigated to know exactly where the cause is coming from. You realize that it has to do with just the access. Ghana Gas is of the view that certain things must be done before they can take possession, but we think that this is not the final completion but a practical completion which gives allowance for deferred liability period. So during those different liability periods, any differed liability that occurs can be corrected so they (Ghana Gas) can go ahead and then take over at that period while other issues are dealt with. So these are the issues were are looking at,” he said.
The General Manager of Amandi, David-Ben Ayun who is supervising the construction of the Onshore Terminal Station and the gas pipeline told Citi Newsthey are committed to the schedule.
“We are putting effort even though we have a lot of delays from third parties not from our side. We are expected to give first gas by the close of September,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Karpowership Managing Director, Volkan Buyikbicer, says it would resume power generation with Heavy Fuel Oil to the national grid by August ending even before first gas in September.
The Karpowership would be adding 470 megawatts at full capacity and would help to reduce power generation with complete operation with gas.
Source:CNR
