VRA ASSURES CONSUMERS OF CHEAPER POWER (BACK PAGE, DEC 8, 2010)

THE Volta River Authority (VRA) has assured the general public of increased power generation through cheaper means with the use of natural gas from the country’s oil fields, Nigeria and independent power producers (IPPs).
It said the interest expressed by IPPs would ensure that the set national target for power generation was achieved.
The Chief Executive of the VRA, Mr Kweku Andoh Awotwi, made this known at a durbar at Aboadze to climax activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Takoradi International Company (TICO).
He said the government was aware that the power sector could only grow with the participation of non-governmental agencies after a successful power sector reform which started in the mid-1990s.
He said currently, the VRA and IPPs were seriously working to relocate nearer to where the multi-million dollar dry gas plant is to be sited by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
Mr Awotwi said there was no doubt that the flow would come with huge opportunities, as well as challenges which would be well-worked out to ensure that the success story of TICO was replicated.
He said the influx of investors into the energy sector would mean the extension of pipelines and storage plants, an expansion in port facilities and factories and positive ripple effects on other sectors of the regional and national economy.
The General Manager of TICO, Nana Osafo Agyei, said the company was committed to safe operations to support the country’s energy needs.
In a related development, 200 students from the Shama District and other parts of the Western Region have been handed scholarships worth GH¢450,000 by TICO.
The scholarship scheme, named Kramer Scholarship, catered for the beneficiaries, made up of 45 per cent females and 55 per cent males, in the basic, junior and senior high schools and tertiary students from the region.
Speaking at the presentation of the awards, Nana Osafo Agyei said apart from ensuring quality education, there was also the need to ensure that children were not left out of the classroom due to lack of funding.
The beneficiaries thanked TICO for the support and pledged to work hard to justify the need for continuous support from the company.