Bridge Power project to boost Ghana’s energy security – Akufo-Addo assures

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that the country will no longer experience the energy shortages, popularly known as dumsor, that plagued it in the past.

The President made this pledge while commissioning the Bridge Power Project in Kpone, Greater Accra, on Tuesday, November 19. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to enhance Ghana’s thermal power generation capacity by 7%.

Speaking at the event, President Akufo-Addo highlighted his administration’s commitment to energy security through effective collaboration.

He emphasized that reliable energy is crucial for economic growth and improving the quality of life for citizens.

The Bridge Power Project, a major investment in the energy sector, is seen as a step toward ensuring sustainable and uninterrupted power supply in Ghana.

“Power indeed is the backbone of national development, underpinning every sector of society from agriculture to technology, finance, manufacturing, and education. In pursuing energy independence, we recognize that reliable power is the foundation upon which the aspirations for a prosperous Ghana are built.

“All of us remember the unfortunate difficult periods of Dumsor, between 2012 and 2016, under the presidency of the NDC’s presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama where systematic power outages disrupted lives and livelihoods across the nation.

“Those challenging times tested our resilience and our resolve as a people. Today, as we stand together to inaugurate the Bridge Power station, we send a clear message to everyone, every Ghanaian that Ghana will no longer be held back by the energy shortages of the past.”

Present Akufo-Addo also assured of addressing the financial arrears owed the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to ensure a resilient economy through efficient power supply.

The Ghana Bridge Power Project is a $1.2 billion combined-cycle power generation initiative with a capacity of up to 515MW, located in Kpone within the heavy industrial area of Tema.

The project will supply power to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), supported by a Put-Call Option Agreement (PCOA) with the Government of Ghana.