The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), the entity mandated to implement the Ghana Power Compact, has re-affirmed its commitment to judiciously utilise the remaining $331.2 million funds for the implementation of infrastructure and business-related projects to enhance energy efficiency.
The funds comprised $308.2 million from the Millennium Challenge Account and $23 million Counterpart Funds from the Government of Ghana to enhance Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) operational efficiency, cut commercial and technical losses and improve ECG’s finances and power distribution efforts in the country.
The ECG Private Sector Participation (PSP) Activity is one of the key project activities that constituted the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround (EFOT) Project, under the $498.2 million Ghana Power Compact II programme.
Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MiDA, at a media soiree in Accra, said the funds available would also support investment at the Energy Commission and the Ghana Standard Authority in capacity upgrading in the form of labeling standards, energy auditing and equipment testing.
Additionally, MiDA will fix 14,000 streetlights across the country and continue with the re-trofitting of public buildings at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the University of Ghana and at the Ministries towards ensuring efficient power consumption and lower electricity bills.
“We shall apply the funds to projects that will improve access to power in eight selected markets in Accra and two in Tamale.
“Counting from today, the Power Compact has one year, six months and 12 days to end, we have prioritised the completion of two Bulk Station Points (BPS) at Pokuase and Kasoa, ensure efficient and sustainable delivery of power to ECG’s consumers in the micro, small, medium and large industries and institutions, as well as markets, economic enclaves and domestic consumers,” the CEO of MiDA stated.
Mr Eson-Benjamin elicited media support to convey its activities, progress, challenges and success stories to the public, to promote understanding and cooperation.
For his part, Mr William Amuna, the Technical Controller at MiDA, said they would build two primary sub-stations-one at the University of Ghana Medical Hospital and Nuguchi Medical Research Centre to ensure reliable supply of electricity and another one at Kanda to supply power to the 37 Military Hospital.
He added that MiDA would support the training of students in energy auditing at the University of Renewable Energy, Sunyani, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) and Accra Technical University.
MiDA, he said, would support the ECG’s Metering Management System to ensure proper coordination of metre data to curb illegal power connections and improve revenue collection drive.
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GNA
