President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the 330 kilovolt Kumasi to Bolgatanga Transmission Line Project.
He said the project is an integral part of the ongoing West Africa Power Pool Project, which seeks to reinforce the Ghana Transmission System.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the President said it would also ensure the export of, at least, 100 megawatts of electricity to Burkina Faso, as well as increase the reliability of the Ghana to Burkina Interconnection Project.
“The interconnection would make it possible for power to be supplied to and from all the countries on the network. Whilst there is some form of connectivity between Ghana, Ivory Coast and Benin… The ongoing project to connect the electricity grids of countries in West Africa could prove a major revenue source,” he stated.
Realising this objective, the President noted, GRIDCo had also constructed a 330kV transmission line from the Aboadze Power Generation enclave through Prestea to Kumasi.
“The 330 kV Kumasi-Bolgatanga Transmission Line Project consisted of the construction of approximately 550km of 330kV Transmission Line from Kumasi to Bolgatanga, the construction of 330kV Substations at Kumasi, Kintampo, Tamale and Bolgatanga,” he said.
The President further indicated the 330kV transmission constituted expansions of the existing 161kV substations at these locations, and the implementation of Environmental Mitigation Measures and a Resettlement Action Plan for the Project.
The project
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the project was financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) at a total cost of US$173.9 million.
“Not only has the project succeeded in supplying 150 megawatts of power to Burkina Faso, but it has also increased transmission capacity to meet growing demand in Ashanti, northern Ghana and beyond,” he stressed.
The Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said the projects had also contributed to the reduction of transmission line overloads and associated high transmission losses and improved voltages, particularly in Ashanti, Bono and Bono East regions.
He emphasised that the 330kV transmission lines had also helped to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply in the country.
History of WAPP
The West Africa Power Pool projects commenced with the Coastal Transmission Backbone Projects (CTB), which involved the construction of 330kV Aboadze-Volta (Tema)-Momehagou (Togo) Transmission Line and associated substations as well as the upgrade of Power Generation facilities in Ghana.
The projects were jointly implemented by the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and Communauté Electrique du Bénin (CEB) of Togo/Benin and completed in 2014.
The developmental objective of the CTB project was to increase access of WAPP “Zone A” coastal states (Cote-d’ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin & Nigeria) to more stable and reliable electricity to alleviate power supply deficits and to reduce their collective vulnerability to drought-induced power supply disruptions.
The subsequent project was the Interzonal Hub Transmission Project. The development objective of the first phase of the project was aimed at reducing the cost of and improving security of electricity supply to Burkina, whilst increasing Ghana’s electricity export capacity.
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