Ghana to Commission 400-Megawatt Hydro Power Station with Chinese Assistance

Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--Ghana's state-owned power producer, Bui Power Authority (Accra, Ghana), is set to commission a 400-megawatt (MW) hydro power station in Western Ghana. The power project being developed on the Black Volta River at the southern end of Bui National Park would be the country's second-largest hydro power plant on commissioning, after the 1,020-MW Akosombo hydro power station. According to Bui Power sources, all major activities for the project are almost complete, and it is expected to be operational by the end of this year.

The $800 million project has been developed in collaboration with China's state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company, Sinohydro (SSE:601669) (Beijing, China). The Chinese government has offered 90% of the funds required for the project, while the remaining 10% has been invested by the government of Ghana. The construction for the project started in April 2008. Sinohydro is working as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

The hydro power project entails the construction of a 108-meter-high concrete gravity dam on Black Volta River with three headrace tunnels and three penstocks to run three 133-MW vertical-axis Francis hydro turbine generator sets for generation of power. The switchyard for the power station is located 300 meter downstream of the plant.

Bui Power Authority was constituted in 2007 as a corporate body with Volta River Authority (VRA) under the Volta River Development Act of the Republic of Ghana, to generate and supply electrical energy for industrial, commercial and domestic use in the country.

Volta River Authority (VRA) started with the generation of power from the Akosombo dam and later, the Kpong Dam, VRA generates power from thermal facilities at Aboadze and Tema to complement hydro generation. About 60% of the country's power supply comes from hydroelectric sources, while the thermal facilities use, largely gas imported from Nigeria through the West African Gas Pipeline.

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