Pokuase Bulk Supply Point project estimated to cost $50 million is said to be nearing its completion stage.
According to Elecnor; the Spanish firm putting up the power station, the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point project is 87 per cent complete and has promised to hand the project over to the Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) by May 2021.
“In order to maintain activities on site, we were granted permission to bring in technicians during the COVID-19 lockdown,” Mateo Perez Camino, Country Director-Elecnor, said during a media site tour.
The Pokuase Bulk Supply Point power substation comprises switch gears and control rooms for ECG and GRIDCo.
The power substation has a total of 580 Megavolt amperes (MVA) of power on site, making it the biggest in the country.
When completed, the project will be able to meet the power needs of the entire Greater Accra Region.
The project is being funded by the United States government through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) with the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) as implementing body.
“When completed, this will be the biggest substation in Ghana, with 580WM of power on site,” said Patrick Oppong, Project Manager of the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point.
“We have all the installations ready in terms of equipment, what is currently ongoing is the laying of the cables, and we hope that in the next few months it will be all done. This will lead to cold commissioning and the eventual inauguration of the substation,” he added.
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According to Elecnor, about $10 million worth of projects have been outsourced to local contractors.
In terms of employment and transfer of knowledge, Mr. Camino added that about 95 percent of the workers on site are Ghanaians.
Aside from the construction of the bulk supply substation, Mr Oppong revealed that about $2 million has also been invested into redesign activities such as roads, in addition to the social interventions within the project’s catchment area.