Ghana: Shutdown Of Atuabo Gas Plant Will Not Lead To Power Outages-BPA Assures

Ghana’s second-largest state owned power generation company, Bui Power Authority (BPA) says the shutdown of Atuabo Gas Processing will not lead to power outages in the West African nation.

According to the Authority, it will make available all its four units totaling 404 Megawatts to compensate for any shortfall in power supply.

Aside making the four units hydropower plant available, the Authority is operating its 50MWp solar farm, which is the largest in Ghana and West Africa.

Part of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant operated by Ghana National Gas Company was shutdown on Monday, October 4, 2021 for routine maintenance.

This has curtailed gas supply from 250MMcfd to 120 MMcfd to power plants in the Western power exclave from . The Bui power plant which usually comes online during peak periods is therefore, coming in to save the situation.

“Bui power is coming to save the situation because we are ordered to run all our 4 turbines and solar plants 24/7,” Chief Executive Officer of BPA Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi told energynewsafrica.com.

During the first half of the year, the Bui Power Plant was doing it’s normal peaking operation due to the relatively low level of water in the Bui reservoir.

The Bui reservoir is however currently almost full due to influx of water from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso into the Black Volta which is the source of water for Bui reservoir.

At a meeting recently the BPA CEO, Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi assured the CEO of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Mr Ebenezer Essienyi that his outfit will make all their generating units available during the period to avoid load shedding and the need to procure liquid fuel for the thermal power plants.

During the meeting, the newly-appointed BPA’s CEO expressed his gratitude to the GRIDCo CEO and staff for the effective collaboration in managing the Bui reservoir to avoid or prevent spillage this year.

In order to ensure that GRIDCo meets the high power demand during Christmas period, BPA stressed that GRIDCo provide prior information about the usual Christmas peak load dispatch which GRIDCo agreed to send a detailed dispatch schedule to BPA.

GRIDCo indicated that most thermal power plants will shut down in the first quarter of the year for their planned maintenance activities and, therefore, BPA should ensure that the Bui generating units are available to supply power to meet the demand during the period.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com