GRi in Parliament
20 - 02 - 2002
Parliament
formally informed of Ako Adjei's death
Accra
(Greater Accra) 20 February 2002 – The Government has directed Volta Aluminium
Company (VALCO) to close down two pot lines with effect from midnight on
Wednesday to provide the nation with the needed reserve to avoid national load
shedding.
Mr
Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy, announcing this in a statement to
Parliament on Tuesday said the action had become necessary in view of the
current state of power supply.
"The
situation has been regrettably erratic, thus fuelling all sorts of speculation.
What is happening now constitutes a culmination of unfortunate incidents which
were being seriously addressed." The Minister, however, gave the assurance
that there would be no power crisis.
Mr
Kan-Dapaah said when it became clear towards the end of last year that there
would be pressure on the supply situation, Volta River Authority (VRA) came out
with a plan to inject 150 MW in April this year and asked VALCO to reduce their
consumption that supplied two lines.
He
said the actual installed capacity of VRA was approximately 1,652 MW, with
additional facilities to import 250 MW from Cote d'Ivoire.
Mr
Kan-Dapaah said the shutdown of VALCO's lines was an action to resist the
temptation of generating more than 750 mw from the hydro-sources given the dangerously
low levels of water in the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
"The installed capacity of 1,652 MW and
the import facility of 250 MW provide VRA with a normal capacity of
approximately 1,900 MW which compares with a total capacity demand of 1,210 MW.
"Under
normal circumstances, therefore, they have a reserve margin of about 690 MW
which is a very healthy margin. For
some reasons, however, they are unable to utilise the full installed
capacity."
The
Minister said following the failure of the rains last year, VRA was producing
only 750 MW instead of the installed hydro capacity of 1,072 MW.
Mr
Kan-Dapaah said the two plants at Takoradi, one owned by TAPCO and the other by
VRA, would generate a total capacity of 560 MW. He expressed regret that since
its installation TAPCO had hardly generated half of its capacity.
The
Minister explained that whenever there was an accident at a unit, thermal or
hydro, or it had to undergo repairs or planned maintenance, the VRA had to shed
load. "Unfortunately we have walked from one accident to another hence the
irregular supply."
Mr
Ken-Dapaah said there was the need to draw a distinction between the power
crisis of 1998 and the power problems now being experienced. "In 1998, we
did not have any significant thermal complementation and we simply did not have
enough supply capacity to meet demand.
"Today,
we have enough supply to meet demand except that there is no reserve margin
whenever we have an accident and need to shed load."
He
said there were still distribution bottlenecks such that even if Electricity
Company of Ghana had all the power it needed, their ability to distribute and
supply the power would still continue to be in doubt. However, the VRA
anticipated the problems and was prepared for them.
GRi.../
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 20 February 2002 - Mr Samuel Obodai, NPP-Agona West, on Tuesday
demanded of President John Agyekum Kufuor what role he wanted his wife to play
in national affairs.
"In
the past, one could not tell whether the First Lady was a shadow President so
we are lost on the role of the present First Lady."
Mr
Obodai, who was contributing to the debate on the president's State of the
Nation Address, said Ghanaians have resolved to have "a government of the
people and by the people and not a government for a man and his wife and a
government by a man and his wife".
He
said the President did not dwell so much on other organs of state and
constitutional bodies in his address because of his belief in
constitutionalism. The Member said the former government cowed the Judiciary
thus making them virtual servants.
Mr
Obodai said during the PNDC days, the slaying of the three judges silenced the
Judiciary while acts of intimidation under the NDC cowed it. "Those who
were supposed to be the keeper of the poor man in the absence of a legislature
were silenced."
GRi../
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 20 February 2002 - The Family of the Dr Ebenezar Ako Adjei, the
last of the Big Six, on Friday formally announced his death to Parliament.
A
three-member delegation led by Nii Nai Adjei presented a note announcing the
death and inviting the House to the funeral of the former legislator and
Minister of State on February 22 at the forecourt of the State House.
Mr
Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker, said Members of Parliament would be happy to accord
Dr Ako Adjei their respects. "He was a pioneer legislator and Minister of
Foreign Affairs," he said.
The
Speaker was flanked by Mr Freddy Blay, First Deputy Speaker, Mr Osei Kyei
Mensah Bonsu, the Majority Deputy Chief Whip, Mr Doe Adjaho, the Minority Chief
Whip and Mr John Akolugu Tia, Minority Deputy Chief Whip. Other members of the
bereaved delegation were Ms Angelina Adjei and Mrs Sarkodie Mensah.
GRi../
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