Turkish power barges head for Ghana on Tuesday

The first power barge to pro­duce 225 megawatts of elec­tricity to alleviate the rolling power cuts is expected to set sail to Ghana to­morrow after a brief commission­ing ceremony.

According to the initial arrange­ment, the barge was scheduled to set sail yesterday but had to be resched­uled to tomorrow (Tuesday).

Related: > Dumsor to End Power barges will arrive next month- Power Ministry

Government officials and se­lected media practitioners are in Turkey for the official commission­ing ceremony before the barge sets sail.

When the vessel finally docks in Ghana, another vessel is also ex­pected to dock close to the power barge to supply it with fuel. This vessel will fuel the barge until such a time a fuel pump is connected for the barge.

A source close to the Power Ministry said Karpowership, the com­pany that built the barge, has test fired it, and everything is function­ing efficiently.

Related: > Dumsor promises Arrival of Karpower barges postponed

Under normal circumstances, the journey from Turkey to Ghana should take 21 days (three weeks).

However, The Finder understands that considering the urgency of the situation, a fast boat, called a Semi- submersible vessel, has been con­tracted to pull the barge for it to arrive in Ghana in two weeks.

Government has also instructed Karpowership to increase the capac­ity of the second barge from the ini­tial 225 megawatts to 400 megawatts.

This means government has in­creased the power expected from the two barges by an additional 175 megawatts, from the initial 450 megawatts to 625 megawatts.

Related: > Dumsor wahala GNPC provides guarantee for first power ship

Officials told The Finder that when the barge arrives, it would take about two weeks to connect it to the national grid.

Ground works at the location where the power barge would dock in Tenia is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The second barge to produce 400MW is expected to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2016.

The power barges were originally scheduled to dock at Tema Port in the first quarter of this year.

It was rescheduled to September 2015, but government failed to meet the first two timelines for the arrival of the barges.

The first contractual 225 megawatts power ship was sched­uled to be delivered in Ghana in September this year, and the second one was to be subjected to clarifica­tion but will be delivered at least 60 days earlier than contracted, Kar­powership told journalists who went to Turkey to witness progress of work on the barges.